May 6, 2009

Courage, Carter named Sportsman/Sportswoman of Year

GROVE CITY, Pa. -- Grove City College honored senior swimmer Caleb Courage (Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg) and senior cross country/track and field performer Kristen Carter (Bellingham, Wash/Bellingham) as its respective Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Saturday at Honors Convocation in Harbison Chapel.

Courage concluded his career as a three-time NCAA Division III champion in the 100 freestyle. Last March, Courage won the NCAA title with a time of 43.62 seconds in the finals. He also owns the Division III record in that event with a time of 43.60, set in the preliminaries at the NCAA Championships.

Courage also won NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007. He spent the 2007-08 year training for the United States Olympic Trials before returning for his senior season this year.

Courage concluded his career as an 18-time NCAA All-American. At this year’s NCAA Championships, Courage earned All-America honors in the 50 and 100 freestyle races as well as the 100 backstroke. He also helped the 200, 400 and 800 free relay teams to All-America status. Courage also contributed to Grove City’s All-America effort in the 400 medley relay.

He is the most decorated athlete in Grove City College history.

During the 2008-09 season, Courage helped lead Grove City to a 12-2 record and the PAC title. He earned Presidents’ Athletic Conference Most Valuable Performer honors for the fourth time in his career.

Courage owns Grove City records in the 50 freestyle (19.97 seconds), 100 free (43.60), 200 free (1:39.66) and 100 backstroke (50.21). He also contributed to record-setting efforts in the 200 free relay (1:21.08), 400 free relay (2:59.06), 800 free relay (6:47.06) and 400 medley relay (3:21.72).

During his career, Courage helped Grove City compile a 41-10 overall record in dual meets. He will graduate with a degree in philosophy. He is the son of Daniel and Karla Courage.

Carter excelled in both cross country and track for Grove City throughout her career. In cross country, she earned PAC MVP honors three times and qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships in 2006, 2007 and 2008.  

Carter earned All-America honors in 2007 after finishing 26^th at the NCAA Championships in Northfield, Minn. She is a three-time All-Mideast Region honoree and is also a four-time First Team All-Conference selection. She helped lead the Wolverines to four straight conference titles in cross country.

Carter is a provisional qualifier for the NCAA Championships in the 10,000-meter run this spring for the women’s track and field team. Carter won three PAC titles in the 1500-meter run, including the 2009 championship, during her career. She owns the school record in that event with a time of 4:47.75. 

Carter also won two conference titles in the 5000. As a freshman in 2006, she finished sixth in the 1500 and eighth in the 5000 at the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships in Springfield, Mass. She has also qualified for the ECAC Championships again this year.

Carter has earned four cross country letters and three letters in track and field. 

This winter, she became the first Grove City student-athlete to earn the NCAA Sportsmanship Award. She received the award February 7, 2009 for her sportsmanlike actions after the 2007 PAC Cross Country Championships. 

A marketing management/communication studies major, Carter has been named to the Dean’s List and is a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America candidate. She is the daughter of Carrie and John Carter.

Grove City first awarded its Sportsperson of the Year award in 1948. In 1982, the College split the award into Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year.

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