Seven Bryn Mawr Student Athletes Named
2006 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars

Seven of Bryn Mawr's student athletes were recently honored by Diversity Issues in Higher Education as 2006 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars. Receiving accolades for Bryn Mawr were Lily Chen '08, Michelle Corder '08, Ashley Dawkins '08, Meg Grehl '08, Lucy Hu '06, Jen Lam '06 and Tonda Shimbo '07.

Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars are exceptional student athletes who have excelled in both sports and their academic careers. Arthur Ashe Jr. honorees are all students of color, with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 grading scale through the fall '05 term. They must have also completed one full academic year and be enrolled for the fall term of the academic year for which they are nominated. Furthermore, the scholar athletes must have been active members of an intercollegiate athletics team during the 2005-06 year and have demonstrated a record of service to the campus or community.

Lily Chen '08, a sophomore from Bedfordview, South Africa, has established herself as a solid performer for Head Coach Danya Pilgrim's field-hockey program. Because of her exceptional achievements both on and off the field, Chen, a mathematics and psychology major, was one of only six field-hockey players to be named an Arthur Ashe Jr. Scholar in 2006.

After seeing significant playing time in the 2004 season (11 games), and being voted the season's Most Improved Player, Chen started in all 17 games this past fall. Playing at the forward position, she scored her first collegiate goal in the Owls' first game of the year in the 2005 season against nearby Immaculata University. In two seasons playing field hockey for Bryn Mawr, Chen has appeared in 28 games and attempted 10 shots. She also earned a varsity letter on the Bryn Mawr swim team as a first-year student, after earning seven varsity letters in water polo and swimming at the Vivian Webb School in California. In addition, Chen serves as the director of public relations for Bryn Mawr's Athletic Association, where she connects the school with athletes and keeps both the athletes and community aware of ongoing events.

In her second year on the Bryn Mawr soccer team, Michelle Corder '08 opened up the Owls' season by scoring her first collegiate goal against Philadelphia Bible College on Sept. 6. Playing in all 18 games of the 2005 season, Corder helped her team win six games this year, including a conference win against Washington College (Md.) on Oct. 26, the first conference win for the soccer program since 1998.

As a result of her hard work as a student-athlete, Corder was named to the first team among soccer honorees in this year's Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Awards. In addition to earning two varsity letters for the Bryn Mawr soccer program, Corder also earned recognition as part of the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll last fall. Off the field, Corder, a chemistry major, serves as a peer-led-instruction leader in general chemistry and also works as a peer mentor for Bryn Mawr students.

For her accomplishments in the sports of field hockey and track and field, as well as her efforts in academics, Ashley Dawkins '08 was named an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar for field hockey and received honorable-mention honors in track and field. An accomplished runner, Dawkins currently holds the school record in the 4x400-meter, 4x800-meter and distance-medley relays. At last year's Centennial Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, Dawkins won gold in both the 4x800-meter and distance-medley relays and won bronze in the 4x400-meter relay.

In addition to track and field, Dawkins is a valuable member to the Bryn Mawr field-hockey team. In her second year on the team, Ashley Dawkins led the team in scoring last fall by accumulating four goals and eight points in 16 games for Head Coach Danya Pilgrim's Owls. She also had a defensive save and was 1-1 on penalty strokes during the 2005 season. Dawkins has been recognized by her fellow Owls, being named Bryn Mawr Athlete of the Week for field hockey in both the fall of 2004 and the fall of 2005. She also earned top honors from the Centennial Conference last fall as Player of the Week after scoring three goals in two games against Mary Baldwin (Va.) and Immaculata.

For all three sports she plays, Dawkins is heavily active in fundraising, and outside of the athletic world, she is active in the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship.

Indoor track-and-field athlete and psychology and East Asian studies major Meg Grehl '08 earned honors as a fourth-team Arthur Ashe Jr. Scholar Athlete for the 2005-06 academic year. After playing a season of soccer her first year at Bryn Mawr, Grehl made the switch to the cross-country and indoor and outdoor track-and-field teams, becoming one of Bryn Mawr's top harriers. In her 2005 season, Grehl consistently finished as one of the Owls' top three runners in meets, competing at a high level in the mile and 800-meter run, and as the lead leg for the Owls' 4x400-meter relay.

Her personal bests in cross country include a 20:22 three-mile time and a 25:28 6K. In indoor track and field her personal best mile is 5:55, her best 3,000-meter run is 11:32 and her best 800-meter run is 2:44. Beyond cross country and track and field, Grehl is the vice president and head of activities for the Bryn Mawr Debate Society.

After an excellent season both on the courts and in the classroom, Lucy Hu '06 was the only badminton athlete to earn Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar honors in 2005-06. As captain of the Bryn Mawr College badminton squad, Hu led her team to its fifth straight undefeated regular-season schedule and a victory at the collegiate competition at the Pennsylvania States this year.

In the past two years playing under Head Coach Eric Miller, Hu has earned many athletic distinctions, including 2004 Mid-Atlantic Junior Runner-Up of Girls Under-25 Doubles Consolation, 2005 Pennsylvania State Open winner of Ladies Doubles C, 2005 Mid-Atlantic Classic Semifinalist of C Women's Doubles, 2005 Mid-Atlantic Junior Runner-Up of Under-25 Doubles and Runner-Up of Mixed Girls Under-25 Doubles.

Outside of badminton, Hu is a member of the Athletic Association, plays violin for the Campus Orchestra and played an integral role in the founding of the Bryn Mawr College Squash Club.

An exceptional athlete and scholar, biology major Jen Lam '06 has been honored for the second time in her athletic career as an Arthur Ashe Scholar. This year Lam has earned the distinction of winning the only award given to a women's lacrosse player.

Serving her second year as captain of Head Coach Katie Tarr's Bryn Mawr lacrosse team, Lam has had a phenomenal career with the Owls. Ranking as the team's top scorer this season, Lam also leads the team in draw controls, ground balls, assists and caused turnovers. In the second game of the 2006 season, Lam scored her 100th career goal against Whittier College (Calif.) and has continued to score another 25 goals this season for the Owls. For her hard work, Lam has earned both team and national recognition, winning Rookie of the Year from her team in 2003, Centennial Conference Player of the Week in 2004 and 2006, the Arthur Ashe Jr. Award in 2005 and honorable mention All-Centennial Conference accolades in 2005.

An English major and cross-country runner, Tonda Shimbo '07 was awarded honorable mention for track and field from the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Awards. Shimbo has run for three years of varsity cross country for Head Coach Dan Talbot, has competed for two years on the Owls' indoor track-and-field team and is currently running outdoor track for her third year as well. On the cross-country team, Shimbo has competed consistently as one of Bryn Mawr's top four runners. She has qualified for the Centennial Conference Championships each season that she has been a member of the indoor and outdoor track-and-field squads.

At the 2004-05 Centennial Conference Championships, Shimbo was the top Bryn Mawr finisher in the mile, earning a team point for an eighth-place finish of 5:38.69, and set a personal record in the 800-meter run at 2:35.64. She also serves as a team representative to the Athletic Association and is a member of the Asian Students Association.

— Jessica Lee '09

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