One recent innovation was interrupted last year. Having issued letter sweaters for decades, varsity club staff resurrected a past tradition in 2019 — selecting a day when “Major H” recipients would receive them at a celebratory reception each year. Little did they know that the COVID-19 pandemic would again halt the annual event as Ivy League competition was canceled in 2020‒21.
But this year the festivities resumed. Nearly 200 student-athletes enthusiastically received a sweater on the patio of Dillon Fieldhouse. Criteria for earning a letter is different for each team, but the prized black sweater is the same.
After 18 extraordinary months apart, letter winners of 2021 may have savored the experience just a little bit more than recent past recipients.
“It feels surreal [to be back on campus] … I didn’t know if this moment would occur or happen,” said DaLoria Boone ’22, an Adams House resident who competes on the women’s track and field team. “I earned [my sweater] when I was a freshman, and now I’m a senior. … Today was super exciting — I wrote it in my calendar … I was going to be here before practice early so I can get my sweater!”