CHESTERTOWN, Md. - Ten Washington College varsity student-athletes were inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society - the nation's oldest and most widely-known Academic Honor Society – on April 9 in Hodson Hall on the campus of Washington College.
The 10 WC varsity student-athletes inducted were: softball player Lexi Barnhart (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove), lacrosse player Mackenzie Boughey (Arnold, Md./Severn School), soccer player Audrey Flanagan (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown), field hockey player Kate Gromacki (Forest Hill, Md./John Carroll), volleyball player Sylvia Johnson (Catonsville, Md./Catonsville), tennis player Ryohei Kawai (Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan/IMG Academy [Fla.]), lacrosse player Abby Laubach (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township), volleyball player Riley McHugh (Burlington, Mass./Austin Preparatory School), lacrosse player Morgan Sutherland (Eldersburg, Md./Liberty) and lacrosse player Grant Thomas (Lewes, Del./Sussex Academy).
Barnhart, a four-year member of the softball team, is a three-time All-Centennial Conference selection, two-time Centennial Pitcher of the Year, two-time member of the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll, and expected to be a three-time member, and was named the Centennial's Scholar-Athlete of the Year last spring for softball. Barnhart was tabbed 2023 Collegiate Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District®. She is double majoring in Data Science and Economics.
Boughey, a four-year member of the lacrosse team, is a two-time qualifier for the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll and expected to be named to her third. She was also named to the IWLCA Division III Academic Honor Roll last spring. She is double majoring in Sociology and Political Science.
Flanagan, a four-year member of the soccer team, was named All-Centennial Conference second team and Academic All-Centennial this past fall. She was named to her third consecutive Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll earlier this year, garnered 2023 CSC Academic All-District® and has earned Team Most Valuable during her time at Washington College. She is double majoring in Business and Economics.
Gromacki, a four-year member of the field hockey team, is a three-time member of the Centennial Conference Academic Honor and was named Academic All-Centennial and All-Centennial Conference as a sophomore and senior. A two-time captain, Gromacki also earned the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Scholar of Distinction and a spot on its National Academic Squad four times. She is double majoring in Business and French Studies.
Kawai, a four-year member of the tennis team, is a two-time qualifier for the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll but is expected to be a three-time qualifier, and a two-time ITA Scholar-Athlete. He has been part of two Centennial Conference Tournament teams. He is majoring in Computer Science.
Johnson, a four-year member of the volleyball team, is a three-time selection to the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll. A two-time team captain, she is majoring in Psychology.
Laubach, a four-year member of the lacrosse team, shares the school record for draw controls in a game (11) and career draws (212). She is a three-time All-Centennial Conference selection and a two-time member of the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll but is projected to be a three-time member. The senior is also expected to be named Academic All-Centennial for a second time after being tabbed in 2022. She was named to the IWLCA Division III Academic Honor Roll last spring. She is majoring in Biology.
McHugh, a four-year member of the volleyball team, is a three-time recipient of a spot on the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll. She is majoring in Psychology.
Sutherland, a four-year member of the lacrosse team, was named the Centennial Conference's Scholar-Athlete of the Year last spring in women's lacrosse. She is a two-time qualifier, expected to be three-time, for the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll. Sutherland was named All-Centennial Conference honorable mention, Academic All-Centennial and to the IWLCA Division III Academic Honor Roll as a junior. She is double majoring in Biology and Chemistry.
Thomas, a four-year member of the lacrosse team, is a two-time selection to the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll and projected to be selected for a third time. He was recently named the winner of the Alfred Reddish Award, which is present to the senior male with the highest cumulative average who has won a varsity letter during the year. He is majoring in Chemistry.
This year's nine newly inducted student-athletes will bring the total number of Washington College varsity student-athletes initiated into Phi Beta Kappa to 111 since the first initiation class in 2007.
About 10% of the nation's colleges and universities have chapters of Phi Beta Kappa. At those schools, roughly 10% of seniors are inducted, meaning only roughly 1% of the nation's collegiate seniors are inducted each year.
