news-category: ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ Paces Big South With Four 2020 Christenberry Award Winners By Office of University Communications On May 22, 2020 Allison Chandler, Jennifer Jackson, Courtney Kanetzke and Brian Stepanek Achieve Honors BOILING SPRINGS, NCāĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ University once again led the way, as the Big South Conference announced a record 12 student-athletes as recipients of the 2020 George A. Christenberry Award for Academic Excellence. The Runninā Bulldogs had four recipients. No other Big South school had more than two. The ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ quartet included womenās golfer Allison Chandler, womenās swimmer Jennifer Jackson, womenās track and cross country runner Courtney Kanetzke and menās soccer player Brian Stepanek. The award is given to the male and female student-athlete within the conference who attain the highest cumulative GPA during their undergraduate collegiate careers. 2020 marks the eighth year in a row that the league has posted a record total. Each of the 12 Big South student-athletes honored in 2020 boasted perfect 4.0 GPAs for their careers. Chandler (Chester, Nova Scotia) was the 2020 Big South Womenās Golf Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In 2019-20, she was second on the Runninā Bulldogs and 12th overall in the Big South with a career-best 75.00 scoring average ā nearly three strokes ahead of her previous best. She helped the squad to a pair of second-place finishes in the fall. Chandler led the team in scoring as a junior and was team medalist twice during the spring season. A two-time WGCA All-America Scholar-Athlete selection, Chandler has been a member of the Deanās List and Alpha Chi Honor Society while at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„.Jackson (Rocky Mount, N.C.) excelled in the pool as a senior in 2019-20, setting personal records in each event swam at the 2020 CCSA Championships. She was a member of an All-Conference relay team, as her 200-yard medley relay finished third at the event. Jackson was also part of fourth-place finishes in the 200-yard free relay and 400-yard medley relay at the 2020 CCSA Championships. A finalist for CCSA Scholar-Athlete of the Year, she earned her third spot in three seasons on the CCSA Academic All-Conference Team. Jackson received ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ās Dr. Dee āDocā Hunt Academic Achievement Award in 2018, and was a member of the ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ Deanās List and Alpha Chi Honor Society.Kanetzke (Mills River, N.C.) competed in the 3,000m run for the Runninā Bulldogs during the indoor season and with the cross country team this past fall. She also competed in the outdoor 5,000m run and 1,500m run during her collegiate career. She set a personal record with a time of 12:20.98 at the 2020 VMI Indoor Classic, and had outdoor bests in the 1,500m run (5:41.78) and 5,000m run (22:21.14) during the 2019 outdoor campaign. A Deanās List and Alpha Chi Honor Society member at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„, Kanetzke was part of a GWU delegation to the National Honors Conference in New Orleans, La. She also participated in the Southern Regional Honors Council in Memphis, Tenn., in 2019, and was a member of the 2020 ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ University Whoās Who list.Stepanek (Davidson, N.C.) played in 25 career matches, including a career-high 12 contests in 2018. He made four career starts for the Runninā Bulldogs and recorded one goal and one assist. Stepanek earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors following the 2018 season ā the first national academic honor for a GWU menās soccer student-athlete since 2009. He was also named to the 2018 United Soccer Coaches Associationās Scholar All-South Region Team, and has been a Deanās List member at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„. ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ also led the Big South with four Christenberry Award winners in 2019. Located in the North Carolina foothills, ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ University is a private, Christian, liberal arts university. ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ emphasizes a strong student-centered experience and rigorous academics to prepare students to become effective leaders within the global community. Ignite your future at ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„.edu.
News Article ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ Students Engage in Summer Scholar Research Across Disciplines Seven Fellows Conduct Faculty-Mentored Projects Spanning History, Science and Human Behavior BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.āThis summer, ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ University undergraduate students are spending five weeks diving deeply into original research. They are exploring topics ranging from World War II history to human behavior, political extremism and biomedical science. Through the Universityās Summer Scholar Fellowship, seven students are […] Office of University Communications | June 15, 2026
News Article Building Something Different: ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ Team Focuses on Relationships and Gospel Witness in Argentina Through Training, Bold Conversations, and Cross-Cultural Connection, Students Discovered Confidence in Sharing Their Faith BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.āThis trip was different,ā shared Dr. Josh Parrott, ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ vice president and university chaplain for Christian Life and Service. āThis was heavy gospel ministryāevangelism, prayer walking, and sharing testimonies.ā Focused on those priorities, a 10-member team spent a week […] Office of University Communications | June 15, 2026
News Article Q&A with Molly Hanley with ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ās First Head Coach for Acrobatics and Tumbling Molly Hanley Discusses Her Coaching Philosophy, Inspiration, and the Vision for Launching a New Program BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.āMolly Hanley, the first head coach for ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ Acrobatics and Tumbling, recently sat down for a Q&A with ĆŪ¶¹Ö±²„ Sports Information. She offers some insight into her background, building a program, and what to expect from the first […] Office of University Communications | June 10, 2026