Kupets wins top female college athlete of the year
June 22, 2009 by jane
Filed under Awards, College Athletics, Gymnastics, Student-Athlete
There’s been a lot of discussion around here about which Honda Award winner would garner the top female collegiate athlete award. Top contenders included Colorado’s Jenny Barringer, UConn’s Renee Montgomery and Washington’s Danielle Lawrie.
In the end, it was gymnast Courtney Kupets of Georgia who won the Honda-Broderick Cup, the top prize given to the nation’s top female college athlete.
She received the award Monday at Columbia University.
The award recognizes not only outstanding athletic achievement but also team contributions, scholastics and community involvement.
Kupets is the all-time NCAA leader with nine individual championships and was named SEC, AAI National Senior and NCAA Southeast Regional Gymnast of the Year. …
A National Honor Society member, Kupets was chosen as ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-American and is a recipient of NCAA and SEC postgraduate scholarships. She is also a member of the Blue Key Honor Society and a recipient of the Richard B. Russell Student Leadership Award. She won UGA’s Marilyn Vincent Award as the senior female student-athlete with the highest GPA.
In addition to her athletic and academic achievements, Kupets has also worked with Special Olympians, participated in the “Do It For Broph” 5K Run/Walk and joined in the SEC “Together We Can” food drive.
Kupets is a Housing/Property Management major with a 3.8 GPA.
After missing the 2008 postseason with an Achilles injury, Kupets returned to lead Georgia to its fifth straight NCAA championship. The senior won national titles in the all-around, bars, beam and floor competition. Her four titles tied the record for a single national meet.
At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Kupets won the silver medal in the team all-around and captured individual bronze in the uneven bars. She’s also set to appear in the new ABC Family drama ‘Make it or Break it‘.
Kupets, of Athens, Ga., was among five finalists for the 33rd annual award. Softball great Lisa Fernandez presented her with the cup.
Congratulations Courtney – well deserved.
