Chris Lukens ’19 was recognized in Auditorium earlier this month for receiving the Stephen B. Leslie Award for Sportsmanship in sailing.

The award is given by the New England Schools Sailing Association to recognize special efforts in sportsmanship, and was last awarded in 2013. Lukens formally received the trophy in Auditorium earlier in December, after the team arranged to have the award engraved with his name.

He was named as the award winner earlier in the fall for his work last spring to help the Barrington High School team attend Nationals. Lukens helped the team with their crowd-sourcing campaign that ultimately provided the team with the money they needed to attend the event.

For Lukens, the campaign meant an opportunity to give back and recognize the good fortune he has enjoyed as part of the Hotchkiss sailing program. “They deserved just as much as we did to go, so I thought we are really lucky here to be afforded a wealth of resources as a school and a sailing team, surely we can help them out to achieve that goal,” he said.

When the team reached their goal, it was a meaningful moment for Lukens. “I checked that GoFundMe page constantly and when it crossed that $6,300 mark I was so excited,” he said. “It honestly felt far better than qualifying for the event itself.”

Lukens was also quick to credit the program and head coach Roger Rawlings for inspiring him to undergo the effort. “At the end of the day I wouldn’t be receiving this award if it were not for the values [Rawlings] instills in our team,” he said.

In his first three years as a sailor, Lukens has won the Class of 1989 Sailing Prize as both an upper mid and a lower mid. He notes that the sailing program is one of his favorite parts of being at Hotchkiss. “It has given me some of my very best friends, and best memories I have through three and a half years here,” he said. “It is a really close group, especially amongst those who travel together every weekend, almost like a little family I would say.”