Congratulations to the recipients of the 2025-26 Ray Tate Student-Athlete Scholarship, Jeffery Sproull ’26 and Lilly Thoman ’26. The scholarship is named in memory of Ray Tate, the founding president of the Spartan Club, who devoted much of his time and energy to Steward athletics. 

At an Upper School assembly on October 27, Jeffrey and Lilly were celebrated for their excellent character, strong work ethic, and extracurricular involvement — characteristics that all Spartans are encouraged to develop and nurture. As the audience cheered and applauded (including Jeffrey and Lilly’s proud families), the two student-athletes were presented $1,250 scholarships by Melissa Johnson, president of the Spartan Club. The scholarships are applied toward the current academic year's tuition and fees. 

Jeffrey recently completed the three-year tenure of Steward’s Leadership Program, which combines hands-on learning with academic studies. In 2024, he was named a Richmond Forum Scholar, a prestigious honor that gave him opportunities to interact with world-famous keynote speakers. In his junior year, Jeffrey was inducted into the National Honor Society with an impressive GPA of 4.63.

An athlete for all seasons, Jeffrey serves as captain of the varsity cross country and swim teams and is a starting defenseman on the varsity lacrosse team. A talented swimmer, he is a Steward record holder in the 4x50 men’s freestyle relay and 4x100 men’s freestyle relay and has qualified for the VISAA State Championship meet every season since his eighth-grade year. A dedicated runner, Jeffrey qualified for the VISAA State Championship meet for cross country every season for the past five years. 

He is the founder and president of the Outdoor Adventure Club, a four-year member of the Model UN Club, and captain of the school’s Battle of the Brains team. He also shares his musical talent as an alto saxophonist for Steward’s concert, jazz, and pep band. 

In the classroom and on the basketball court and soccer field, Lilly is a standout. She was recently inducted into the National Honor Society with a GPA of 4.85 – a testament to her commitment to academic excellence. A four-year starter for the varsity basketball team and a member of the varsity soccer team as a freshman and sophomore, Lilly has earned lots of accolades during her tenure at Steward. 

Her athleticism on the basketball court garnered Lilly well-deserved recognition: She was named First-Team All TCIS Conference, First-Team All State, and Third-Team Richmond Times-Dispatch All-Metro. Last season, she averaged 7.5 assists per game – the best in the State of Virginia according to MaxPreps – an accomplishment that also ranked her 21st nationally in assists per game by MaxPreps. Lilly also played AAU basketball for Under Armour’s West Virginia Thunder program, and her talent on the soccer field earned her Second-Team All TCIS Conference recognition for both seasons of soccer. Lilly looks forward to playing Division I basketball for Army West Point, to which she has committed.

Lilly was selected as a member of the class of 2026 cohort of the Richmond Times-Dispatch/Sports Backers Acting Living Leaders All-Star Program, a newly enhanced scholar-athlete program. On campus, she serves as an Admissions Ambassador, is president of the Athletics Mental Health Club, and volunteers with Special Olympics basketball. She has also shared her energy and blue-and-gold pride as a member of the Prom Committee, Spirit Squad, Student Council Association, Jewish Student Union, and Fellowship of Christians in Universities & Schools (FOCUS). 

Congratulations, Jeffrey and Lilly!