PRINCETON, N.J. – Three Ivies are set be recognized at both the NCAA Convention in Phoenix at both the NCAA Convention Awards Presentation Wednesday evening and the NCAA Woman of the Year Presentation Thursday afternoon.
NCAA Convention Award Presentation
NCAA Woman of the Year Presentation
- Ellie Shahbo (Harvard), NCAA Woman of the Year Top 9 Finalist
DR. TOM CATENA
An All-American football player at Brown, Catena will be recognized with the Theodore Roosevelt Award. The award is presented annually to a distinguished citizen of national reputation and outstanding accomplishment who graduated from an NCAA member institution and earned a varsity athletics award or participated in competitive intercollegiate athletics.
Catena graduated from Brown in 1986 with a degree in mechanical engineering, but shortly after realized he wanted to pursue a career in medicine. After graduating from Duke University School of Medicine, Catena spent four years as a flight surgeon with the Navy. Later during his residency, he embarked on mission trips to Guyana and Honduras, which led him make medical mission work his career. He most notably spent 15 years in Sudan, where he saved countless lives.
Read more on Catena’s journey and accomplishments here.
BUDDY TEEVENS
Dartmouth’s all-time winningest coach, Teevens will be posthumously honored with the NCAA President’s Pat Summitt Award. Established in 2017, the
Summitt Award recognizes an individual in the NCAA's membership who has demonstrated devotion to the development of student-athletes and has made a positive impact on their lives.
Teevens led the Big Green to five Ivy titles in his two stints in the helm of his alma mater. He was a quarterback of the 1978 Dartmouth team that won the Ivy title, earning the Bushnell Cup as Ivy League Player of the Year. As a head coach, Teevens championed numerous efforts to push the game forward, highlighted by becoming the first coach to eliminate full-contact practices throughout the year and the hiring and development of female coaches.
Read more about Teevens’ legacy on and off the field here.
ELLIE SHAHBO
A 2023 graduate of Harvard and former member of the nationally ranked field hockey team,
Ellie Shahbo is one-of-nine finalists for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. The top 30 finalist will be recognized at the convention and the winner will be announced on Thursday.
Established in 1991, the award honors the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female college athletes from all three divisions.
A second-team National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-American in 2021, Shahbo helped lead the Crimson to the national semifinal that season.
As a research assistant in the Balu Laboratory at Harvard, she analyzed molecular pathways driving autism and schizophrenia. She served as the executive head of outreach for Women of Harvard Athletics, helping to create a more inclusive space and spearheading its Black Lives Matter movement. Shahbo served as president and vice president of the Athlete Medical Mentorship Program, providing mentorship and shadowing opportunities to student-athletes, and was president of Harvard's IC final club, promoting equity and diversity efforts. She also volunteered weekly with the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter.
Shahbo recently joined the Ivy Insights podcast to discuss her on and off the field ventures. Listen Here.