#Pwih forever
our legacy is unmatched. Scroll below to learn more about our alumni.
Our Core values
tough - Relentless - grateful - committed
Patty earned an A.B. in religion from Princeton in 1986.
She was an outstanding defenseman, earning a varsity letter four years, participating on three Ivy League championship teams, and earning several All-Ivy honors and an All-E.C.A.C. honor as a senior. In 1990, Patty passed away following a long illness.
To honor her legacy, USA Hockey created a new, national-level award in 1998. It was designed to recognize the accomplishments of the most outstanding player in women's intercollegiate hockey each season. The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is presented by the foundation to the player who represents the highest standards of personal and team excellence.
It has been presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey, but “top player,” however, is a two-part standard. The winner must be a stellar player on ice, but must also be an equally stellar individual off it, reflecting Kazmaier herself. USA Hockey’s wording states that the award goes to a player who “represents the highest standards of personal and team excellence.”
One of Patty's teachers described her: "Patty is beautifully in touch with a lot of things in her life; she participates willingly and positively, and her sensitivity and warmth are both unique and uplifting."
A legacy that lives on every day at Princeton.
Marcoux Samaan graduated cum laude from Princeton in 1991 after majoring in history.
She was a two-sport varsity athlete in soccer and ice hockey. A leader on the field and on the ice, she earned eight varsity letters and numerous Princeton, Ivy League and national honors in both sports, including winning the University’s top female athletics award, the C. Otto Von Kienbusch Award.
Following graduation, Marcoux Samaan served in multiple roles at the Lawrenceville School before beginning a 19-year career with Chelsea Piers Management. She quickly moved into senior management positions, eventually serving as executive vice president and executive director of Chelsea Piers’ 400,000-square-foot multi-venue sports complex in Connecticut, a facility featuring the expertise of highly ranked professional athletes, Olympians, former collegiate coaches, former Ivy League and Division I athletes and sports industry leaders.
In 2014, she returned to Princeton as the University’s Ford Family Director of Athletics. Under her supervision, Princeton won 65 Ivy League championships, a total that is more than all other Ivy schools during that time. In 2021, she left Princeton to join the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) as their ninth commissioner – a position she holds today.
Marcoux Samaan is a passionate champion of the importance and history of women’s sports and continues that work today.
Malkiel graduated from Princeton in 1995 with a degree in history.
While at Princeton, she earned varsity letters in both lacrosse and ice hockey, and was a member of the 1992 Ivy League champion ice hockey team. Whitney also holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Whitney Malkiel '95 had a 21-year career at Nike, serving as the company's VP/GM of Global Nike Women's for her final three years with the brand. She previously served in various senior management roles across the company in New York, Amsterdam and Portland. Prior to joining Nike, Whitney gained experience in investment banking, consulting, and the start-up space.
Whitney and her husband John Malkiel ’95, a Princeton lacrosse alum, reside in Portland, Oregon with their three sons.
