SENIOR MOMENT: Princeton University field hockey player Beth Yeager, center, controls the ball in a game this past fall. Last Thursday, senior star midfielder Yeager was named as the recipient of the 2026 C. Otto von Kienbusch Award which is given annually to a Princeton senior woman of high scholastic rank who has demonstrated general proficiency in athletics and the qualities of a true sportswoman. Over Yeager’s college career, she become the first Ivy League field hockey player and eighth in Division I history to be a four-time first-team All-American, as well as the first in her sport to be a four-time Ivy Offensive Player of the Year. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
After taking a year off from Princeton University to compete for the U.S. field hockey team at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Beth Yeager returned to school with a bang.
In 2024, star midfielder Yeager helped the Princeton field hockey team reach the NCAA quarterfinals. This past fall, she starred as the Tigers advanced to the national championship game where they fell to Northwestern in overtime.
Last Thursday, Yeager added another line to her glittering resume, getting named as the recipient of 2026 C. Otto von Kienbusch Award which is given annually to a Princeton senior woman of high scholastic rank who has demonstrated general proficiency in athletics and the qualities of a true sportswoman.
Over Yeager’s Princeton career, she became the first Ivy League field hockey player and eighth in Division I history to be a four-time first-team All-American, as well as the first in her sport to be a four-time Ivy Offensive Player of the Year. A four-time unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection, Yeager, an economics major from Greenwich, Conn., began her career as the league’s Rookie of the Year and followed that by winning Mid-Atlantic Region Player of the Year and honors and becoming a Honda Award finalist as a sophomore.
Last fall, she tallied 15 goals and 10 assists on the way to winning another Mid-Atlantic Player of the Year Award and was a Honda Award finalist. In addition, she was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Ivy tournament and to the NCAA tournament All-Tournament Team.
A member of the senior U.S. national team since she was 17, Yeager, a two-time team captain, finished her Princeton career with 60 goals and 36 assists to end up fifth in the program’s all-time scoring list.
While Mitchell Schott didn’t compete in Paris in 2024, he put in an Olympian effort over the years for the Tiger men’s swimming program.
During his time at Princeton, Schott rewrote the program record book by setting school bests in 12 different events, earning All-American honors along the way.
In recognition of his achievements, Scott was named as the recipient of the 2026 William Winston Roper Trophy, which is awarded annually to a Princeton senior man of high scholastic rank and outstanding qualities of sportsmanship and general proficiency in athletics.
Schott is a two-time Ivy Championships High Point Swimmer of the Meet, a nine-time Ivy League Champion, and a three-time Ivy League Runner-Up.
Closing out his Princeton career as a part of one of the program’s most historic seasons, Schott, a two-time team captain, helped lead the Tigers to their first undefeated campaign since 2015-16 and back-to-back Ivy League titles following an eight year-long drought. Princeton also recorded its highest NCAA team finish since 2012, placing 22nd nationally while earning its most championship points since 1990.
Schott played a key role in that success, becoming Princeton’s first Top-8 NCAA finisher since 2012, earning two first team All-America honors as he took seventh in both the 200-yard butterfly and 200 freestyle. Additionally, he qualified for the NCAA Championships in eight events.
An East Asian Studies major from Newport Beach, Calif., Schott also excelled academically, earning three CSCAA Scholar All-American honors and two Academic All-District selections.