At the 2022 Senior Honors Toast, GW Athletics toasted its graduates and presented awards to its top-performing members.
The Lynn George Outstanding Senior Female Student-Athlete Award is presented annually to an outstanding senior female athlete who embodies excellence in athletics, science and citizenship. Lynn George was a standout GW student-athlete in the late 1940s who later became GW’s first director of women’s athletics, a position he held for 12 years until 1987. Deja Chambliss took the honor in 2022. Chambliss capped her most successful season in the Buff & Blue with a trip to the NCAA Regionals as an individual all-around qualifier. She was named EAGL Gymnastics of the Year after placing first in the league in vault, floor and all-around. As only the third gymnast in program history to receive the league’s top honor, she also set the program record and was named EAGL Gymnast of the Week four times during the regular season. Chambliss also finished the year 25th in the country on vault, 43rd nationally on floor and 34th in all-around. She scored a perfect 9.950 on vault at GW’s Pink Meet on February 6th, earning first place overall in the event’s program history. Chambliss, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science in December, is currently pursuing a master’s degree in health and biomedical sciences.
The J. Dallas Shirley Outstanding Senior Male Student-Athlete Award is presented to a graduating male senior who also embodies the qualities of a well-rounded student-athlete. A 1935 GW grad, Shirley was a GW basketball star who later went on to have a distinguished career as a DC educator and basketball official. The late Mr. Shirley was a noted collegiate and NBA umpire and officiated at the 1960 Summer Olympics. He is one of only two GW alumni – the other being the legendary Red Auerbach – in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The 2022 recipient came from men’s swimming and diving, Mark Osina. Osina was one of the driving forces behind his team‘s dominant push to a second straight Atlantic 10 title and fifth conference crown in six years after winning seven gold medals and being named the A-10 Most Outstanding Performer. The Czech native broke his own A-10 record en route to victory in the 200 IM and also posted NCAA B-cut times in individual wins in the 400 IM and 200 back. He was also part of four relay wins, highlighted by a conference record performance in the 200 medley relay. During his two years at GW, Osina also excelled in teaching, earning two A-10 All-Academic Honors as a business major with a concentration in accounting. He earned a spot on the CSCAA Scholar All-American list for a second straight season in 2022 and won a total of 13 medals, 12 of them gold, in his two trips to the A-10 meeting, and he’ll get a chance to to expand his legacy over the next year when he returns to do his Master of Accountancy.
Two-time SAAC President Lauren Bennett was honored with the 2022 Student-Athlete Leadership Award. Bennett exuded leadership during her time at Buff & Blue. As a member of the women’s rowing program, Lauren rowed the varsity 8 three times to second place in the A-10 championship, the program’s best results ever. Individually, she twice received First Team All-Conference honors.
lacrosse Sophia Watkinson received the Female Scholar Athlete Award based on her cumulative GPA of 3.91 while studying Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Psychology and Brain Science, while Luis Preciado of Golf won the 2022 Male Scholar Athlete Award with his cumulative GPA of 3.87 while pursuing a double degree in economics and computer science.
Bennett, Chambliss, Osina, Preciado and Watkinson were named Colonials of the Week on Monday, May 16 for their efforts throughout their careers and in 2021-22.
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