LOCK HAVEN, Pa. (June 12) – California University of Pennsylvania graduate student
Christopher Clark (Hadley, Pa./Commodore Perry) received the inaugural Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Sportsmanship Award on Friday.
Clark, who finished his career as a five-time All-American, competed on the Cal U cross country and outdoor track & field teams last year. As a veteran of both teams, he mentored teammates and provided encouragement for them to excel in their sport.
At a recent track meet, Clark told Jeff Weiss from Slippery Rock that he would take the lead and help set the pace for the runners since Clark had already qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championships. Both Clark and Weiss posted a national-qualifying time in the 10,000-meter run at the conference meet, which is uncommon in the event.
A model student-athlete, Clark was recently selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II First Team. He has worked on several community projects; most recently he helped to organize over 120 student-athletes to clean up the community of California.
The award, which is in its first year of existence for the 2008-09 academic year, is given to one male and one female student-athlete that exemplifies the spirit of sportsmanship and who has demonstrated the values of respect and integrity through a specific action ideally directed toward an opponent.
Junior Jamie Maloney, a swimmer at Clarion University, was the female recipient of the award.
Nominees must also have represented his/her institution in a positive way during competition and must have demonstrated good citizenship outside of competition by fostering a good public image. The winners of the PSAC Sportsmanship Awards are submitted as the nominees for the NCAA Division II Sportsmanship Award. The PSAC Sportsmanship Award was implemented by the PSAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) this year.
The NCAA Sportsmanship Award winners will be announced in July.
Junior
Ashley Moore (Yorktown, Va./Grafton), a right-side hitter on the volleyball, was also nominated for the PSAC Sportsmanship Award.