Page 4 - Winter 2023 Rochester Athletics Newsletter | University of Rochester

PLAYING THE COURSE:
DAWNE

Front row: Granddaughters Hera and Cora Hickton. Back row: Daughter
Bridget, Dawne, son Declan, Dave, granddaughter Sophia, daughter-in-
HICKTON ’79
law Stephanie Leyva Hickton, and son Conor Hickton.

This collegiate swimmer, business the swim team. That team went on to In appreciation of the experience their
leader, competitive athlete, and great success, too. It became the first son had at Rochester, the Hicktons
mom of six loves to learn, play, women’s swimming team to ever score recently made a significant gift to
and compete—and support an undefeated season. support the golf team.
men’s golf.
After graduating from Rochester with
degrees in English and political science,
Dawne Sepanski Hickton ’79 learned
to swim by jumping off the dock in her Hickton earned a law degree from the
family’s backyard. “We lived right on the University of Pittsburgh. Since then,
Niagara River so that’s what my brothers, she has become a successful business
sisters, and I did all summer long,” she leader in the aerospace industry. Hickton
says. Hickton spent her youth playing is also the mom of six children. She and
with her five siblings and participating David, her husband of 38 years, both
in various sports, including swimming. come from large families. They planted
Her peers even named her captain of roots in the Pittsburgh area and raised
their high school swim team—an early their family there. Each one of their
indicator of her leadership skills. children is an athlete, too, including
Declan, a Class of 2021 mechanical
When it came time for college, Hickton engineering major who excelled in the
was excited to go to Rochester and join classroom and on the golf team.

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