WENZEL RECEIVES WALTON AWARD
Football, Lacrosse Player Honored For Spirit and Courage

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Eric Wenzel ’03 is the recipient of the Amanda D. Walton Award, given at the discretion of the Department of Athletics to an outstanding athlete who has excelled on the field of play and who has shown spirit and courage in transcending unforeseen challenges. The award was presented at the Class Day exercises on May 25

Wenzel, who survived the tragic automobile accident on Jan. 17 involving a number of Yale athletes, was coming off a successful four-year career on the gridiron. He played fullback, on special teams and even lined up at tight end a few times. Wenzel started the last six games of the 2002 campaign in the offensive backfield.

An All-America candidate in lacrosse, Wenzel’s collegiate career was put on hold after the accident. He was a 2002 All-New England pick and is now 10th on the school’s all-time save list.

The Garden City, N.Y., native was in net at Princeton the day the Bulldogs shocked the defending national champion Tigers by ending their near-record Ivy League win streak. Wenzel, the star of the day with 14 saves, made an amazing stop late in the game to preserve the victory and hand Old Nassau its first loss in its now eight-year-old stadium.