NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale Athletic Department honored seven senior student-athletes with awards on Monday as part of its annual celebration.
Chidera Chukwumerije of volleyball and Mason Shipp of football received the Thomas W. Ford Student-Athlete Community Outreach Award. Ashley Yen of women's golf and Conrad Lee of men's soccer were honored with the Molly Meyer Humanitarian Award. Amanda O'Donnell of women's fencing was named the recipient of the Amanda D. Walton Award. O'Donnell, Mason Evans of men's track and field and Olivia Ren of women's fencing 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.
Chidera Chukwumerije (Volleyball)
Chidera Chukwumerije has been a transformative leader within the Yale athletic community. She currently serves as the Co-President of the Black Student-Athlete Coalition (BSAC) for the 2025-26 academic year and has been an active member since its inception. Additionally, she is the co-founder of B.E.A.D. (Black Excellence in Art and Design), an initiative that celebrates creative expression within the community.
On the court, Chukwumerije helped the Bulldogs win three Ivy League Championships and three Ivy League Tournament Championships. She was a part of three NCAA Tournament appearances. A middle blocker from Atlanta, Ga., she attended the Cate School. She is a psychology major.
Mason Shipp (Football)
Mason Shipp's impact extends across the Ivy League. As a member of the Ivy League Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), he served as the lead on the proposal for the Ivy League to participate in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. That proposal was passed, and this past season Yale won an FCS playoff game – becoming the first team in Ivy League history to do so. Shipp has held numerous leadership roles, including Ivy SAAC Vice Chair and Co-President of BSAC for the 2024-25 season. He was also a member of the NCAA Football Leadership Council.
Shipp has been a part of three Ivy League championships and one NCAA FCS playoff appearance at Yale. He was named a semifinalist for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy, which honors the nation's top football scholar-athlete. In 2024 he was named to the FCS Athletics Directors Association Academic All-Star Team. A political science major from Monroe Township, N.J., he is a three-time College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District selection.
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.
Ashley Yen (Women's Golf)
Ashley Yen started a foundation, "Kit 2 Kids," which has developed and donated thousands of STEM-based craft kits to more than 20 schools, hospitals and nonprofits. She has personally managed more than 50 volunteers and initiated workshops to teach children concepts such as kinetic energy and circuits. Yen also volunteered her time to file tax returns for more than 40 New Haven residents.
Elected team captain for the 2025-26 season, Yen is in her second year on the Yale Student-Athlete Advisory Committee executive board. She served as communications chair in 2024-25 and is chair of Yale Bulldogs for Change (YBC) this year. She also has served as the social chair and treasurer for the Yale Chinese American Student Association (CASA), managing an annual budget of more than $10,000.
A native of Houston, Texas, Yen is a three-time WGCA All-American Scholar. She is a statistics and data science major.
Conrad Lee (Men's Soccer)
Conrad Lee is recognized for his profound commitment to civic engagement. During the fall of 2024, Lee took a leave of absence to return home and work for the Montana Democratic Party, focusing his efforts on voter registration.
A standout goalkeeper from Livingston, Mont., Lee started all 15 games in the 2025 season and led the Ivy League in saves per game (4.13). An applied mathematics major, he earned Academic All-Ivy League and CSC Academic All-District honors. Before Yale, Lee was a national champion with the Seattle Sounders FC Academy.
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.
Amanda O'Donnell (Women's Fencing)
Amanda O'Donnell's journey is one of remarkable resilience. Just three days before the Ivy League Championships during her first year in 2023, she was struck by a distracted driver while running. The accident resulted in severe injuries.
Despite being sidelined for the remainder of that season, O'Donnell was determined to return. Following months of physical therapy, she competed in Summer Nationals in July 2023 and went on to qualify for the NCAA Championships in March 2024.
O'Donnell's experience has inspired her to pursue a career in medicine, specifically trauma or orthopedics. The team captain for the 2025-26 season, she is an epee fencer from Chicago, Ill.
Delaney Kiphuth Student-Athlete Distinction Award
This award is presented annually to the student-athletes with the top cumulative GPA over four years at Yale.
Mason Evans (Men's Track and Field)
Mason Evans is a senior sprinter from Wilmington, N.C. He set a personal record of 6.93 in the 60m dash at the 2025 Ivy League Indoor Championships and has been a contributor to the Bulldogs' relay teams. Off the track, Evans has served as the president of a community service club and is an accomplished pianist. He is a molecular, cellular, and developmental biology major.
Amanda O'Donnell (Women's Fencing)
In addition to receiving the Walton Award, Amanda O'Donnell was recognized for her academic excellence. A graduate of the Chicago Laboratory Schools, she was a National Merit Scholarship recipient and a four-time USA Fencing High School All-Academic First Team selection. She is a biomedical engineering major.
Olivia Ren (Women's Fencing)
Olivia Ren is a senior foil fencer from Harvard, Mass. She is an ethics, politics & economics major and has represented the Bulldogs at the Ivy Championships and NCAA Regionals. Prior to Yale, she was the co-valedictorian of her high school class at the Bromfield School and a National Merit Scholarship winner.
