FARMVILLE, Va. – Elena Firestone and Lauren Vick of women's lacrosse and women's cross country & outdoor track, respectively, were announced as winners of the George A. Christenberry Award for Academic Excellence by the Big South Conference today.
 
The award is the most prestigious academic honor in the Big South, and this is the first time the Lancers have had two winners in the same year.
 
Vick and Firestone boast perfect 4.00 GPAs, and both are on track to graduate early.
 
The award is given to a graduating male and female student-athlete who attain the highest GPA during their undergraduate collegiate career. This year, a record-tying 12 Big South student-athletes earned the honor.
 
The honor is named for George A. Christenberry, the former President of Augusta College (now Augusta University) and one of the founders of the Big South Conference. He served as the league's first President from 1983-86.
 
Firestone was the Big South All-Academic Team honoree for women's lacrosse this spring, and she is graduating in just three years with her degree in computer science while maintaining a perfect GPA. She has earned President's List honors in every semester at Longwood, and she is planning to work in the national security sector after graduation. She had one goal and one assist as a midfielder, and she added 12 draw controls this spring. She played in all 15 games while starting 13.
 
Vick is graduating early as well and holds a perfect GPA while running both cross country and track. She is majoring in communication sciences and disorders, and she has earned President's List honors every semester at Longwood for a perfect 4.0. On the course, she set her personal best this season in the 5K at the Upstate Invitational, and she also competed in six track meets this spring. She ran the 5,000m, 1,500m and the 3,000m steeplechase, with her time in the steeplechase in April serving as a top 10 time in team history.
 
Below are this year's recipients in alphabetical order.

• Radford softball player Cassi Barbato (4.00 in Exercise, Sport and Health Education)
• Gardner-Webb men's swimmer Theodore Drescher (4.00 in Graphic Design)
• Longwood women's lacrosse player Elena Firestone (4.00 in Computer Science)
• USC Upstate volleyball player Julia Gladhill (4.00 in Early Childhood Education)
• Presbyterian women's soccer player Kelly Hall (4.00 in Business Administration)
• USC Upstate volleyball player Ali Jansen (4.00 in Middle Level Education)
• USC Upstate men's soccer player Cooper Jennings (4.00 in Management)
• Gardner-Webb women's lacrosse player Reese Jones (4.00 in Biology/Biomedical Science)
• Radford women's soccer player Marley Krach (4.00 in Biology)
• Winthrop women's soccer player Lily Meisten (4.00 in Biology)
• Charleston Southern women's soccer player Sydney Thomas (4.00 in Management)
• Longwood women's cross country runner Lauren Vick (4.00 in Communication Sciences & Disorders) 

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