Demonstrating that Cardinals are successful on and off the field, senior soccer captain Nick Vincent ’04 and Cross Country and Track captain Brittany Allen ’04 were both honored with the Roger Maynard ’37 Memorial Award for their academic and athletic achievements.
“It was nice being honored by President Bennet and his lovely wife since I had never been to their house before, and because Wesleyan actually recognized athletes as beneficial rather than detrimental to the university,” Vincent said. “I felt very privileged to win the Maynard award, particularly since there were so many qualified candidates.”
Vincent is an American Studies major, the president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and a senior interviewer in the Admissions Office. On the field, he was a team captain in men’s soccer this past fall and was honored as a first-team all-NESCAC choice in 2003 after earning second-team all-NESCAC honors in 2001. In a few weeks he will play in the New England Inter-regional Soccer All-Star game, which features players from Division I, II, and III.
Allen is a Women’s Studies and Sciences in Society major, and was one of few students voted to Phi Beta Kappa this past fall. On the field, she was the team captain for both the Cross Country and the Track teams and attended the NCAA Division III Championship for both sports.
The Maynard Award is bestowed upon the male and female scholar-athlete who best demonstrates the spirit, accomplishment and humility of Roger Maynard ’37. But this was not the first time that these Cardinals have been recognized for their academic achievements: both student-athletes were also honored by the New England Small College Athletic Conference this past fall as NESCAC All-Academic Team this fall.
Both players attribute their work ethics to the people around them who have inspired them to play and work harder.
“My parents taught me to work hard at everything, and I try to at the very least outwork everyone else because it is the one thing I have complete control over,” Vincent said. “Every year I have been more efficient with my time. My friends would say to the point that I suck at life and am no fun, but I disagree. The science library is a happening place, right?”
Allen struck a similar tone. “[I contribute my success] to Kristin Kyrka ’04. She and I have been the same person lately, so she must have something to do with this. I also think that my housemates and our friends, Mario and Luigi, have played a large role,” Allen said. “On a more serious note, my family has always encouraged me to devote my time to activities that mean a lot to me and to work hard to succeed. I also have been continuously surrounded by inspiring and supportive people in academic and athletic communities at Wesleyan, which contributes enormously in helping me stay motivated to engage in the work that I do.”
Despite the accolades and the praises, the two athletes still display the humbleness and graciousness that embody the Cardinal’s morals, especially towards each other.
“I still chuckle about how much more qualified Brittney Allen (the female recipient) was than I – have you looked at her list of achievements? They introduced her first at the banquet and all I could think was, shit, I can’t compete with that,” Vincent said. “She has a [a great GPA] and two majors, plus pre-med, community service, all that good stuff. I felt like Bush three Novembers ago. It was great.”
“Well, I’m honored to be recognized alongside my esteemed friend and colleague, Nick Vincent, who does excellent work on the field and in the admissions office,” said Allen.
These two scholar-athletes have been excellent role models not only for their teammates, but for the entire Wesleyan community.
“In his four years here he epitomizes what a Wesleyan student athlete should be. He is committed to academics and the Wesleyan community,” said men’s soccer coach Geoffery Wheeler. “This award speaks for itself.”
“I think that this award is a great way for the school to recognize the level of investment reflected in students and athletes on this campus in a million different ways. It’s always nice to have one’s hard work acknowledged,” Allen said.
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