HAVERFORD, Pa. – Sophomore Sarah Waldis, a starting midfielder for the Haverford College field hockey team, was presented the 2013 Archibald MacIntosh Award during an on-campus ceremony in her honor Thursday evening. Waldis is the seventh field hockey player to receive the honor in the award’s 49-year history.
The Beta Rho Sigma alumni society has presented the award in MacIntosh’s honor to the top scholar-athlete in the first-year class at Haverford since 1964.
Waldis was in the starting line-up for each of Haverford’s 19 games during her freshman season. No other first-year player accumulated more than seven starts. She led the team with three defensive saves and helped limit opponents to 14.9 shots per game and only 2.05 goals per contest. In the attacking end of the field Waldis helped spark an offense that generated a Centennial Conference-best 3.14 goals per game average.
In March of her freshman year Waldis was named a Gladiator by SGI/National Field Hockey Coaches Association 2012 Division III Scholar of Distinction. The 140 student-athletes selected for the scholars list achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.90 or higher through the first semester of the 2012-13 academic year.
The Haverford community played an integral role in Waldis’ successes in her first year on campus. "During that first week of freshman year, as I sat in my room feeling exhausted after a tough practice and struggling to complete my first calculus problem set, I would never have believed myself capable of receiving an award like the MacIntosh," reflected Waldis. "However, shortly thereafter [that night] I began to discover the meaning of community at Haverford. In my time here at the College I have found incredible support on and off the field, athletically and academically, from truly amazing peers and mentors who continuously push me to be better, for which I could not be more thankful. I am grateful to receive this award and want to give thanks to my family, teammates, classmates, coaches and professors, without whom I could never have achieved such an honor."
Starting a freshman in every game requires a great deal of trust. Head coach Jackie Cox recognized she had a special player on her roster. "Sarah exemplifies what a student-athlete needs to do to perform at the highest level on the field and in the classroom," said Cox. "She consistently brings her competitive nature and skill to practices and games and is a leader in every way. Sarah is a standout field hockey player in the Centennial Conference and will continue to be throughout her career at Haverford."
Waldis is exploring several majors at Haverford but plans to pursue a post-secondary degree after graduation and plans to work with pediatric developmental disorders.