NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale Athletic Department honored nine senior student-athletes with awards on Wednesday as part of its annual celebration.
Helen Tan of women's fencing and Alexander Williams of heavyweight crew received the Thomas W. Ford Student-Athlete Community Outreach Award. Dominique Romain of women's track and field, Olivia Muhn of women's ice hockey, and Bennie Anderson of football were honored with the Molly Meyer Humanitarian Award. Taylor Everson of women's lacrosse and Meredith Phillips of women's soccer were named recipients of the Amanda D. Walton Award. Helen Tan (women's fencing), Nina Mital (women's squash), and Cameron Matossian (heavyweight crew) were recognized with the Delaney Kiphuth Student-Athlete Distinction Award.
Thomas W. Ford Student-Athlete Community Outreach Award
This award is presented annually to one male and one female student-athlete who during the past four years have demonstrated a commitment to strengthening the relationship between Yale Athletics and the youth in the New Haven community.
Helen Tan (Women's Fencing)
Helen Tan serves as president of Yale's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and represents the university on the Ivy League SAAC. She is the co-founder of Yale Asian Student Athletes (YASA), a member of the Chinese American Students Association (CASA), and a dedicated volunteer with the HAVEN Free Clinic, Yale New Haven Hospital, and the Yale Global Health Review.
A two-time NCAA qualifier in foil, Tan placed 17th in 2022 and 21st in 2023. She is a two-time All-Northeast Region selection and earned Second Team All-Ivy honors in 2023 after finishing sixth at the Ivy League round-robin. That same year, she was selected to attend the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum as the Ivy League's representative. A dedicated scholar-athlete, Tan was named to the Academic All-Ivy League Team as a senior.
She is a Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry major from Coppell, Texas.
Alexander Williams (Heavyweight Crew)
Alexander Williams is a highly engaged member of both the Yale and New Haven communities. He is a member of the Yale Undergraduate Prison Project, which collaborates with local professionals to discuss public safety, incarceration, and legal reform. The group also assists formerly incarcerated New Haven residents with sentence pardon applications.
Williams is a founding member of the Yale Title IX Student Advisory Board and a leader on several Title IX initiatives. He has also served as a project leader and event aide for his Head of College office, a Yale Admissions tour guide and ambassador, a first-year counselor, and a student-athlete mentor (SAM). He volunteers through Dwight Hall and at local food banks. A four-year member of the heavyweight crew team, Williams is a Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology major from Ooltewah, Tenn.
Molly Meyer Humanitarian Award
This award is presented annually to male and female senior student-athletes whose character exemplifies selfless devotion along with compassion and concern for their team and the community at Yale and beyond.
Dominique Romain (Women's Track & Field)
Dominique Romain has been a pillar of the Yale community. She is the founder and co-president of the Black Student-Athlete Coalition (BSAC), a board member for the 2024 Black Solidarity Conference, a Student-Athlete Mentor (SAM), and a dedicated volunteer with the Nourish Project.
Romain was named captain of the women's track and field team for the 2024–25 season. She ranks fourth on Yale's all-time long jump list, both indoors and outdoors, and has contributed to three of the 10 fastest 4x100m relay teams in program history. At the 2025 Ivy League Indoor Championships, she placed sixth in the 60m and ninth in the long jump. She also earned a sixth-place finish in the long jump at the 2024 indoor meet.
A native of Knoxville, Tenn., Romain is pursuing a double major in History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, with a certificate in French.
Olivia Muhn (Women's Ice Hockey)
Olivia Muhn demonstrated a deep commitment to community service during her Yale career. She served as a services coordinator for Speroway, a Christian nonprofit focused on empowering vulnerable communities through food, education, and healthcare. Muhn also volunteered with Artworks for Cancer, helping organize and install artwork in treatment centers across the Greater Toronto Area.
On campus, Muhn was an active member of the Yale SAAC and contributed to multiple outreach efforts, including the Undergraduate Learn to Skate Program, the Penpal Program, and the Mandi Schwartz Bone Marrow Drive.
A consistent presence on the ice, Muhn played in all 133 games of her career, tallying five goals and 35 assists while helping Yale to its historic 2023 ECAC and Ivy League championships. She is a three-time ECAC All-Academic honoree, a two-time AHCA Krampade Scholar All-American, and an Academic All-Ivy League selection. Muhn is an Ecology and Evolutionary Biology major from Burlington, Ontario.
Bennie Anderson (Football)
Bennie Anderson has displayed remarkable leadership and community engagement throughout his time at Yale. He served on the Yale SAAC, including terms as vice president and president, and represented the university on the Ivy League SAAC. His campus involvement included membership in Yale Undergraduate Investments, the Faculty Committee on Athletics, and the founding of BSAC. He also served as a leader at the Afro-American Cultural Center (AFAM), a committee member for the Mandi Schwartz Marrow Donor Drive, and a youth mentor in New Haven. In 2023, Anderson organized a celebration honoring Yale football legends Calvin Hill and Mark Washington during the Morgan State game. He also served as the inaugural SAAC Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Chair in 2021–22.
A semifinalist for the 2024 William V. Campbell Trophy, Anderson earned recognition for academic excellence, athletic achievement, and leadership. A political science major from University City, Mo., he graduated in December 2024 and signed a professional contract with Léopards de Rouen in Normandy, France.
Amanda D. Walton Award
This award is given at the discretion of the Athletics Department to an outstanding student-athlete (male or female) who has excelled on the field of play and who has shown spirit and courage in transcending unforeseen challenges.
Taylor Everson (Women's Lacrosse)
Taylor Everson overcame a life-threatening injury sustained during a game in 2023, which resulted in an extended stay in the intensive care unit. Remarkably, just four weeks later, she returned to campus to complete her spring semester—an early sign of the resilience and determination that defined her story.
In her first season back on the field, Everson started every game and played a key role in one of the most historic campaigns in Yale women's lacrosse history. The Bulldogs finished 17–3, captured both the Ivy League regular season and tournament titles, and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals.
Following the 2024 season, she earned All-Ivy Honorable Mention honors. In 2022 she was named to the Ivy League All-Tournament Team. A 2022 IWLCA Academic Honor Roll selection, Everson has totaled 68 goals and 28 assists for 96 points in 49 career games. She is an Ethics, Politics, and Economics major from Montclair, N.J.
Meredith Phillips (Women's Soccer)
Meredith Phillips began her collegiate journey at Yale in the fall of 2020, but her path quickly took an unexpected turn. In the spring of 2021, she was sidelined by a series of health challenges that kept her off the field for nearly a year. Cleared to return in the spring of 2022, Phillips dedicated herself to an unwavering comeback in time for the 2023 season. Just as she regained her footing, tragedy struck again in February 2024 when she lost a close friend in a tragic accident— a moment that tested her strength in unimaginable ways, yet revealed her resilience, quiet leadership, and ability to inspire those around her through grace and perseverance,
Despite the adversity, Phillips remained resilient. A four-year member of the Yale women's soccer team, she appeared in all 16 games during her final season, logging 972 minutes on the pitch. Off the field, she served on the Team Impact Leadership Committee and volunteered as a First-Generation Investors tutor. A native of Wilmette, Ill., she graduated in December 2025 with a degree in economics.
Delaney Kiphuth Student-Athlete Distinction Award
This award is presented annually to one male student-athlete and one female student-athlete with the top cumulative GPA over four years at Yale.
Nina Mital (Women's Squash)
Nina Mital is a political science major from West Harrison, N.Y. She is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, Smart Woman Securities (SWS) and Yale Undergraduate Diversified Investments (YUDI). Mital was a four-year member of the women's squash team who played primarily out of the No. 9 position for the Bulldogs. She was elected captain for the 2024-25 season and was named to the Academic All-Ivy League team.
Helen Tan (Women's Fencing)
Helen Tan is a Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry major from Coppell, Texas. In addition to her athletic and academic accomplishments, Tan serves as Yale's Ivy League SAAC Representative and is president of both the Yale SAAC and Yale Asian Student Athletes (YASA). She is also a member of CASA and a volunteer at the HAVEN Free Clinic, Yale New Haven Hospital, and Yale Global Health Review.
A two-time NCAA foil qualifier and All-Northeast Region selection, she earned Second Team All-Ivy honors in 2023 and was named to the Academic All-Ivy League Team.
Cameron Matossian (Heavyweight Crew)
Cameron Matossian is a Statistics and Data Science major from Rye, N.Y. A four-year member of the heavyweight crew team, he earned IRCA Empacher Scholar-Athlete honors and was part of the fourth varsity boat that won first place at the 2024 Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (EARC) Championships.
