GW Athletics Class of 2025 Celebrated Throughout Commencement Weekend

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Following Special Athletics Commencement on Tuesday, when GW's baseball and rowing teams commenced to their next chapters, individual school ceremonies saw GW student-athletes celebrate their graduation at a series of Commencements at the Smith Center during the week. Action picked up on Friday at the annual Senior Honors Toast, and the party continued to the National Mall Sunday, where 87 student-athletes were among the university's Class of 2025. Notably for the athletes, it was one of their own who served as Commencement Speaker, women's basketball alumna and WNBA Finals MVP Jonquel Jones.

During Athletics' Senior Class Toast, six awardees were recognized in front of their classmates. The 2025 Female Scholar Athlete Award was shared between a pair of stellar students, rowing's Anna Golbus and volleyball's Grace Allread, as the top performing female athletes by GPA in their class. The 2025 Male Scholar Athlete Award was claimed by men's soccer's Roee Tenne.

For combined academic, athletic and community excellence, the 2025 Lynn George Outstanding Senior Female Student-Athlete was awarded to gymnastics' Rachel Katz, who finished her career as a two-time EAGL Conference Champion. A captain in 2025, she earned first-team all-EAGL accolades on vault and all-tournament on bars, to go along with second team all-EAGL recognition on bars and all-tournament on vault. She was named EAGL All-Academic every year and was recently honored for the third-consecutive year with GW's Outstanding Academic Achievement Award. Outside of the classroom and gym, Rachel has also made a huge impact in the community. This year, she was one of 20 Division I student-athletes named to the inaugural Allstate NACDA Goodworks Team for winter sports.

The 2025 J. Dallas Shirley Outstanding Senior Male Student-Athlete went to men's swimming and diving's Connor Rodgers. In an incredible four-year career swimming in Foggy Bottom, Connor finished four-for-four in A-10 Conference Championships. From Most Outstanding Rookie Performer in his first season, to back-to-back Most Outstanding Performer in 2024 and 2025, he was also an Olympic Trial Participant in 2024. Majoring in Business Analytics, he was named to the GW Athletics Academic Dean's List in every semester at GW, and he ends his time at GW holding four GW swimming program records, three of which are also A-10 Conference records.

Sharing in Sunday's limelight with her predecessor in women's basketball's Jonquel Jones, Maxine Engel had the honor of being on stage to introduce Jones' address, after she herself was welcomed by university President Ellen M. Granberg. Engel also took home the Leadership Award Friday for demonstrating what it truly means to be a Revolutionary in every sense of the word. Her impact reached far beyond the scoreboard, leading with purpose, integrity, and vision. A Public Health and Business major with a 3.9 cumulative GPA, Max was a captain in 2024-25 and has been a dedicated volunteer with Grassroots Health. She founded the inaugural chapter of Voice in Sport with GW Athletics, part of the larger nationwide Voice in Sport program, which provides women and girls in sport, ages 13-23, with the resources needed to elevate and advocate for themselves.

Congratulations go to all 87 members of GW Athletics' Class of 2025, and gratitude goes to the friends, family and donors who supported their journey in Foggy Bottom.

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