University of Minnesota Athletics
Bucknam Receives Sportsmanship Award
10/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota women's cross country and track & field alum Kate Bucknam ('15) is one of four NCAA student-athletes who has been honored as a 2014-15 NCAA Student-Athlete Sportsmanship Award recipient, the NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct announced today.
While competing in the 2014 NCAA Division I Women's Cross Country Championships, University of Minnesota senior and co-captain Kate Bucknam noticed a fellow runner, Baylor University freshman Annie Dunlap, stumbling toward the finish line. Bucknam joined with Dunlap's teammate Madie Zimmerman to assist Dunlap in finishing the race.
"I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to help a sister in my sport out," Bucknam said. "Every runner in that race sacrificed so much...and I know all of us had a rough race. The least we deserved was to finish, and I wasn't going to finish without her."
Bucknam completed the race as Minnesota's sixth runner in her NCAA championship debut. Following the season, she was awarded Minnesota's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award and was the recipient of an Outstanding Sportsmanship Award from the Big Ten.
The Fayetteville, Ark., native graduated from the University of Minnesota last spring with a degree in kinesiology. She is currently attending graduate school at Lipscomb University and is competing for the Bisons in her final season of eligibility.
Bucknam joins Hunter Hulley, who competes in men's track and field while studying art at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls; Bailey Kent, who competes in women's tennis while studying biology and Spanish at St. Olaf College; and Sebastian Stiefelmeyer, who competed in men's tennis and majored in economics at the University of Louisville, in receiving the 2014-15 NCAA Student-Athlete Sportsmanship Award.
Sportsmanship is one of the core principles of the NCAA. These awards honor the efforts of college athletes and administrators who work to protect the integrity of sports and create an even and welcoming playing field for all athletes and fans.
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Players Mentioned
