TOWSON, Md. - Amira Hadri was selected as the Landmark Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Hadri, the 2023-24 league Women's Swimming & Diving Senior Scholar-Athlete, was also nominated for the Division III Commissioners Association (DIIICA) National Student-Athlete of the Year award.
Scholar-Athlete of the Year History
"I am excited to recognize Amira Hadri as our Landmark Scholar-Athlete of the Year." Amira has thrived at Drew which is evident through her academic achievements while also giving back to the campus, including her peers," stated Landmark Conference Commissioner Katie Boldvich. "Amira was also a force in the pool throughout her career. I always looked forward to seeing her on the podium and appreciated her humble nature and support of fellow teammates and competitors alike. I have no doubt she will continue to shine in her future aspirations."
A backstroke and sprint freestyle specialist, Hadri enjoyed a tremendous career in the pool over the last four years with the Rangers. The team competed in just one meet during her first season at the Forest in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but at the virtual Landmark Conference Championships, she broke the school record and captured the conference title in the 50-freestyle while winning three additional gold medals in the relays to earn the conference Rookie of the Year award.
"I am greatly honored and humbled by this award and I would like to recognize the many talented and deserving student-athletes across the Landmark Conference," said Hadri. "My utmost gratitude to Coach Munson for constantly pushing me to excel and my outstanding teammates for providing unwavering support and encouragement and becoming my family away from home. I would also like to express my appreciation to Professor Firestone and Professor Abramowitz for their invaluable mentorship and guidance at Drew, and my parents for their endless love and support from Malaysia. This award is a testament to the collective effort of everyone who has been a part of my journey, and I am deeply grateful for that."
Over the following three seasons, Hadri continued to excel individually while helping lead the team to outstanding achievements as well. In 2022, she helped the team to its first-ever undefeated dual-meet season (6-0), and at the Landmark Conference Championships, she won four events, including the 100-backstroke while helping Drew capture its first-ever conference title in women's swimming & diving. For her career, she earned 13 Landmark Conference gold medals, including four in individual events and nine in relays. She also closed out her career holding five school records, including individual marks in 50-freestyle (24.27) and 100-backstroke (58.06) and additional standards in the 200-freestyle, 200-medley, and 400-medley relays.
"It is amazing to see that Amira was honored with the Landmark Conference's Senior Scholar-Athlete Award," said Drew swimming and diving head coach, Rich Munson. "Watching her embrace all the challenges of being a student-athlete the last four years was fantastic and I am so proud of all her accomplishments. Congratulations and thank you for being a Ranger!"
Away from the pool, Hadri was a finance major with minors in data science and psychology. A native of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, she was named to the Dean's List every semester while posting a 4.0 GPA over each of the last four semesters. A Drew University Baldwin Honors Scholar, Action Scholar, and Francis Asbury Scholarship recipient, she was inducted into Omicron Delta Epsilon (National Economics Honor Society) last spring, when she also received the Finance Award as the best student in finance. She earned a place on the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team in each of her last two years at Drew and has been named to the Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll three times. Additionally, Hadri served as the managing director of Drew's student investing club, The Fund; was a peer tutor and academic coach at the Center for Academic Excellence for Statistics, Economics, and Data Science courses; and was an international ambassador for international student orientation.
"Amira has been a tremendous ambassador for our swimming & diving team, athletic department, and university since she arrived on campus four years ago," said Director of Athletics, Christa Racine. "Her impact on the team and our department goes well beyond the pool deck. We cannot thank her enough; she is a first-class student, athlete, and young adult."