HAVERFORD, Pa. - Recent Haverford College women's lacrosse graduate Sarah Cahn has been nominated for the 2022 Division III LGBTQ Student-Athlete of the Year Award, the NCAA announced in a release earlier this week.
This prestigious award honors the academic achievements, success in athletics and service/leadership of LGBTQ student-athletes across Division III. Nominees are chosen for their efforts and dedication to promoting and advocating for an LGBTQ-inclusive athletics department, campus, and community within a Division III institution.
In 2021, the Baltimore native published op-eds in USA Lacrosse Magazine and Inside Lacrosse titled "Why We Need to Normalize Coming Out In Lacrosse" about her experiences coming out as an adolescent in the lacrosse community. These conversations lead to the creation of important dialogue within the program as well as the larger Haverford Athletics community.
Cahn was later invited to speak on a panel at Drexel's LeBow College of Business Sport Business Department. During the panel, "A Catalyst for the Cause: Fostering Greater Equity in Sport," which occurred in April 2022, she joined coaches and athletes across the NCAA and professional sports to have important conversations about creating equity for the LGBTQ+ athletics community and to share thoughts on how to normalize the coming out experience.
She was integral in the organization of the first "Pride Game" in Haverford College Athletics history. She organized a celebration of Haverford's LGBTQ+ community in honor of "Campus Pride Month" at an April 2022 contest against Ursinus. During the event, the public address announcer read statements before and during the game, encouraging fans to sign a letter to the Pennsylvania Senate to protest a new house bill banning trans girls from sport. Members of Haverford's LGBTQ Student-Athlete group handed out merchandise and treats to celebrate pride month. The game was widely attended by community members and was a fantastic merging of the broader campus community with the athletics space.
Cahn has also been widely involved with the LGBTQ+ One Team event at Haverford, helping to lead conversations regarding the LGBTQ+ experience within collegiate athletics.
Cahn appeared in 29 career games for the Fords, starting all 18 contests in her senior season as the Fords went 12-6 en-route to an NCAA tournament appearance. Cahn made 151 saves on the campaign. A political science major during her time at Haverford, Cahn currently works as a Counterterrorism Research Assistant at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Nominees for the LGBTQ Student-Athlete of the Year Award will be announced in early August and the winner will be announced at the 2023 NCAA Convention in San Antonio on Friday, January 13, 2023 at 7 p.m. Eastern.