Track Star and Two-Sport Phenom Inducted into SLIAC Hall of Fame

The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) inducted two Principia alumni, Carlie (Sanderude) Satchwell (C’14) and Ngozi Mwanamwambwa-Asinga (US’89, C’93), into the 2022 Hall of Fame.

A two-sport athlete, Satchwell excelled at both tennis and soccer while at Principia. She credits much of her growth as an athlete to her parents who were also committed to sports, leading to her beginnings as a two-sport athlete. Her father played collegiate soccer and her mother played collegiate tennis, so Satchwell says “I wasn’t really allowed to pick just one.”

On the tennis court, Satchwell became a four-time First Team All-Conference pick and two-time SLIAC Player of the Year. Her team also won the conference tournament during her four years at Principia. While on the soccer field, Satchwell contributed to two undefeated conference seasons and SLIAC tournament championships as a defender. She earned an All-Conference selection all four years, as well as First Team honors as a senior and Second Team as a junior.

During the induction ceremony, she thanked her teammates and coaches. “The years playing both soccer and tennis at Principia College in the SLIAC Conference,” says Satchwell, “hold some of the most meaningful and defining memories of my life, and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to play two sports within the conference.”

Mwanamwambwa-Asinga flew in for the induction ceremony from her home in Zambia, where she owns a gym, to accept her award and attend her children’s track meets during the week. Mwanamwambwa-Asinga ran track and field at Principia Upper School, Principia College, and in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics representing Zambia. She was the NCAA Division III National Champion in the 200-meter race in 1992 and earned All-American honors seven times. She was also Zambia’s flag bearer and first female Olympic track competitor during the 1992 Olympics.

Photo: Mwanamwamba-Asinga center, with Principia College Athletic Director Ann Pierson, right, and tennis coach Shannon Carney, left.

During the induction ceremony, Mwanamwambwa-Asinga recounted that when she started her track and field journey at Principia, she was a natural talent but also a “lazy sod.” It wasn’t until a Principia coach pressed her to run the winding uphill road to Elistoun that she committed to challenging herself on and off the track. “That moment,” she says, “was a moment that changed my life forever because I realized I was capable of being so much more, and I just needed an extra push.”

Mwanamwambwa-Asinga now watches from the bleachers as her children race. Attending the SLIAC Induction Ceremony gave her an opportunity to watch her children in their own Midwest track meets. Busiwa Asinga (US’19) won the 400-meter hurdles at the Missouri Valley Conference this year and advanced to the NCAA West Preliminary Round. Issam Asinga, an incoming senior at Principia Upper School, won the 100-meter and 200-meter races at the Missouri State Championships, setting new state-meet records and leading the boy’s track and field team to victory as Class 1 state champions.

Former Principia volleyball coach Mary Ann (Green) Sprague-Denison (C’84) was also honored during the ceremony for receiving the 2020 Lee McKinney Distinguished Service Award.