FOREST, Va. – The Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) announced on Thursday that Washington and Lee recent women's soccer and basketball graduate
Sarah Zimmerman is the 2026 recipient of the Marjorie Berkley Award as the top women's sport scholar athlete in the conference.
Voted on by the ODAC Board of Directors, Zimmerman was selected to receive the Berkley award, while recent football graduate Matt Conroy of Shenandoah University earned the top honor on the men's side, the Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Award.
Zimmerman becomes W&L's 14th Berkley winner and 30th Jopson or Berkley beneficiary. Most recently, Hillis Burns '25 (Men's Lacrosse) won the Jopson award in 2025, while Zimmerman is the first women's sport athlete since Tess Muneses '23 to claim the Berkley. Zimmerman is also the fourth W&L women's soccer player and first W&L women's basketball player to receive the Berkley award.
Inaugurated in 1984 and 1981, respectively, the Marjorie Berkley and Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Scholar-Athlete Awards are given each spring to member institution seniors (or graduate students) and conference sport participants who exhibit the highest athletic, academic, and extracurricular achievements. Ms. Berkley began her collegiate teaching career at then Lynchburg College. Several years later, she moved to Hollins University where she coached tennis, field hockey, and soccer, and served as the athletic director for 30 years.
"One of the things I've always loved about athletics is the problem-solving dimension," Zimmerman said reflecting on her time at W&L. "Every game presents a new puzzle, whether that is reading a defense, adjusting in real time, or simply finding the right play. There's also the quieter discipline that athletics instills, the kind that doesn't always get talked about. Managing a full training and competition schedule while carrying a double major forced me to get organized early and stay that way. I took an active approach to my schedule, my goals, and my growth because I had no other choice. That habit has served me in every academic environment I've entered. When you've competed at this level, you understand what it means to demand the best from yourself, and I brought that same standard to my academics. It's not about perfection, but instead about refusing to be passive in the pursuit of something you care about."
Zimmerman, a business administration and mathematics double-major, was a standout student throughout her career, with a 3.87 grade-point average, eight W&L Scholar Athlete citations and four ODAC All-Academic Team selections. Zimmerman was named the 2025 ODAC/Va. Farm Bureau Insurance Women's Soccer Scholar Athlete of the Year, twice collected College Sports Communicators (CSC) First Team Academic All-America honors and was an inductee into Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society.
"Sarah is an outstanding example of an elite student-athlete and is truly deserving of this award," stated Head Women's Soccer Coach
Tiffany Pins. "Her ability to excel as a significant contributor in two sports while maintaining exceptional academic achievement is a testament to her work ethic, discipline, and commitment. We are incredibly proud of her accomplishments and grateful for the positive influence her leadership has had on our program."
Zimmerman completed her W&L soccer career as one of the most accomplished players in program history. In 87 career games, Zimmerman amassed 105 points on 42 goals and 21 assists, and saw her goals, assists and points totals all increase each year from her rookie season through her junior year. She then scored a career high 17 goals as a senior, tied for fifth most in a season in program history, to finish tied for fourth in career goals. Her 105 points are the fifth most in program history and her 21 assists are the eighth most.
For her efforts on the pitch, Zimmerman was named the ODAC Player of the Year as a junior and senior, along with United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region and First Team All-America honors following both of her final two seasons. Zimmerman is the only player in program history to be named a First Team All-American in back-to-back seasons, and she led the program to two ODAC Championships and records of 65-10-13 overall and 35-1-4 in conference play.
"Sarah is the true embodiment of what the Division III experience is all about," commented Head Women's Basketball Coach
Brittney Kemp. "Sarah has embraced every aspect of the student-athlete experience, excelling not only as an athlete and scholar, but also as a leader, teammate, mentor, and role model. Sarah's exceptional leadership, relentless pursuit of excellence, and genuine investment in those around her set her apart. She is a remarkable ambassador for our program, institution, the ODAC and all of Division III."
Zimmerman's athletic prowess extended far beyond the pitch, as she was a key piece to the W&L women's basketball team's success over the last four seasons. The women's basketball team won three ODAC titles and produced an overall record of 107-16 (63-5 ODAC), capped off by a 31-1 campaign in 2025-26 and the program's second-ever trip to the national quarterfinals.
Playing in an even 100 games for the Generals, Zimmerman notched 712 points in her career at a rate of 7.1 per game, in addition to 4.7 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steals per contest. Zimmerman is one of just five players in W&L women's basketball history to have blocked at least 100 shots in a career, while she averaged a career-high 5.5 rebounds per game as a senior to land on the All-ODAC Third Team.
Zimmerman concluded, "Looking ahead, I know sport has shaped not just my habits but my direction. I'm drawn to environments that are fast-paced, collaborative, and require real problem-solving under pressure which is exactly what led me toward investment banking after graduation. In many ways, it feels like a natural extension of everything sport has already prepared me for. Sports didn't just coexist with my academic journey; they made me who I am within it."
Zimmerman will move on to additional awards representing W&L and the ODAC, including serving as the ODAC's nominees for the Division III Commissioners Association (D3CA) regional and national awards processes.
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
