April 19, 2001
Gritter and Boot named Verizon Academic All-Americans
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Sarah Gritter and Erinn Boot of the Calvin women's cross
country team have been named Verizon Academic All-Americans in the fall/winter
at-large college division with Gritter landing a spot on the first team and Boot
a place on the third team.
In receiving first team Verizon Academic All-America accolades, Gritter becomes
the first four-time Verizon Academic All-American in Calvin athletic history as
well as the first three-time first team Verizon Academic All-American. Gritter
earned her first Verizon Academic All-America citation in 1999 when she was
named to the second team in women's track and field in 1999. She then earned a
spot on the first team in cross country and also in track and field in 2000.
Gritter is from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin where she prepped at Racine Lutheran High
School. A nine-time member of the Calvin Dean's List, Gritter was graduated
from Calvin this past December with a major of mathematics and a minor of
computer science. While at Calvin, Gritter carried a 3.93 grade point average
and was a four-time member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll and a four-time
recipient of the Division III College Cross Country Coaches Association
All-Academic award.
A three-time All-American in track and field, Gritter helped lead the Calvin
women's cross country team to its 13th consecutive MIAA and Great Lakes Regional
title this past fall. At the MIAA Championships October 28, Gritter took first
place with a time of 18:27, en route to earning MIAA MVP honors while also
earning a spot on the All-MIAA first team. At the Great Lakes Regional meet,
she finished second and earned a spot on the Great Lakes All-Region team for the
third time. At the NCAA III Championships, she finished 130th, helping the
Knights finish 14th as a team. The finish marked Gritter's fourth appearance at
the national meet as she was also a key member of Calvin's national championship
teams in 1998 and 1999.
Boot is from Kalamazoo and is a graduate of Kalamazoo Christian High School.
She is receiving Verizon Academic All-America accolades for the first time in
her athletic career. Boot carries a 3.88 grade point average as a pre-medicine
major. Boot is a five-time member of the Calvin Dean's List, a three-time
recipient of the College Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic award
and a two-time member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.
A two-time first team All-MIAA and Great Lakes All-Region selection, Boot took
second at the MIAA Championships this fall with a time of 18:36. Her finish
helped the Knights record a first place team score of 16 points which was the
second best team score in MIAA women's cross country history. Boot then took
sixth at the Great Lakes Regional to help the Knights post a first place team
score of 41 points. At the NCAA III Championships November 18, she was top
individual finisher for the Knights, placing 61st with a time of 19:04. Boot
was also a member of Calvin's 1998 and 1999 national championship teams, serving
as the team's first alternate at the 1998 national meet and then finishing 50th
at the 1999 NCAA III Championships as she served as Calvin's all-important fifth
runner.
Calvin has now had its athletes recognized as Verizon Academic All-Americans 43
times including 17 times in the last three years. In addition, it marks the
sixth straight year that a Calvin women's cross country runner has received
Verizon Academic All-America honors.
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