June 15, 2000 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gritter named GTE Academic All-American
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - The GTE Academic All-America teams in the women's
spring at-large division have been announced at the college level and
Calvin senior Sarah Gritter has been named a first team GTE Academic
All-American in track and field. The college division of the GTE
Academic All-America program includes NCAA II, NCAA III and NAIA
schools. The GTE Academic All-District and All-America teams are
selected by the College Sports Information Director's Association of
America (CoSIDA). To be eligible for nomination, a player must be a
starter or a key reserve with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.20.
Gritter hails from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin where she attended Racine
Lutheran High School. A four-year member of the Calvin women's track
and field team, Gritter is receiving GTE Academic All-America accolades
for the third time in her athletic career as she was recently named a
first team GTE Academic All-American in cross country and was a second
team honoree in track and field last spring. Gritter joins 1998 Calvin
graduate Andrea Clark and 1997 Albion graduate David LeFere as the only
athletes in MIAA history to receive GTE Academic All-America honors
three times.
A three-time All-American in track and field, Gritter took fourth in
the 3,000 meters at the NCAA III Championships this past May as she
clocked in with a school record time of 9:41.90. Her time shattered the
previous school mark by nearly 11 seconds that had been established by
3,000 meter national champion Betsy Haverkamp in 1997.
At the 1999 NCAA III Championships, Gritter finished second in the
3,000 meters with a time of 9:54.74 and third in the 1,500 meters with a
school record time of 4:31.79 to earn All-America honors in both events.
Gritter also earned a spot on the All-MIAA track and field team for the
third straight year this spring as she repeated as league champion in
the 1,500 and 3,000 meters. As a junior, Gritter established new MIAA
records in the 3,000 meters (10:00.06) and 1,500 meters (4:36.02) as she
was named the MIAA's co-MVP.
Gritter was recently honored as Calvin's recipient of the Kay Tiemersma
Award, given to the top senior female student-athlete at Calvin. She
carries a 3.92 grade point average and is an eight-time member of the
Calvin Dean's List and a four-time member of the MIAA Academic Honor
Roll. Gritter is majoring in mathematics with a minor in computer
science. She also serves as a student computer programmer in the Calvin
Information Technology Department.
Gritter will return for the upcoming fall semester to use her final
year of cross country eligibility. Gritter placed 49th at the 1999 NCAA
III Cross Country Championships as she helped lead Calvin to its second
consecutive national championship.
Calvin has now had its athletes recognized as GTE Academic
All-Americans 39 times including 13 times in the last two years. In
addition, Calvin track and field athletes have been recognized as GTE
Academic All-Americans 13 times.
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