Trio of Calvin women's cross country harriers
named to Verizon Academic All-District IV teams

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Jeff Febus - [email protected]

Grand Rapids, MI -- 
 
A trio of Calvin women's cross country harriers have received Verizon Academic 
All-District IV honors in the fall/winter at-large college division.  Named to the 
Verizon Academic All-District IV first team from Calvin are senior Sarah Gritter and 
junior Erinn Boot while senior Rashel Workman has been named to the second team.  As 
members of the first team, Gritter and Boot both advance to the national ballot and 
are eligible for All-America honors.
 
The college division of the Verizon Academic All-America program includes NCAA II, 
NCAA III and NAIA schools.  The Verizon Academic All-District and All-America teams 
are selected by the College Sports Information Director's Association of America 
(CoSIDA).  To be eligible for nomination, a player must be a starter or a key reserve 
with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.20.   The women's fall/winter division includes 
the sports of cross country, gymnastics, skiing, fencing, ice hockey, soccer, water 
polo, rifle and swimming and diving.
 
Gritter is making her third straight appearance on the Academic All-District IV first 
team while Boot is being so honored for the first time after earning second team 
All-District IV honors a year ago.  Workman is receiving All-District IV second team 
accolades for the first time in her career.
 
Gritter is from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin where she prepped at Racine Lutheran High 
School.  A nine-time member of the Calvin Dean's List, Gritter was graduated from 
Calvin this past December with a major of mathematics and a minor of computer 
science.  While at Calvin, Gritter carried a 3.93 grade point average and was a 
four-time member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll and a four-time recipient of the 
Division III College Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic award.
 
A three-time All-American in track and field, Gritter helped lead the Calvin women's 
cross country team to its 13th consecutive MIAA and Great Lakes Regional title.  At 
the MIAA Championships October 28, Gritter took first place with a time of 18:27, en 
route to earning MIAA MVP honors while also earning a spot on the All-MIAA first 
team.  At the Great Lakes Regional meet, she finished second and earned a spot on the 
Great Lakes All-Region team for the third time.  At the NCAA III Championships, she 
finished 130th, helping the Knights finish 14th as a team.  The finish marked 
Gritter's fourth appearance at the national meet as she was also a key member of 
Calvin's national championship teams in 1998 and 1999.
 
Boot is from Kalamazoo and is a graduate of Kalamazoo Christian High School.  A 
second team academic all-district IV selection last year, Boot carries a 3.88 grade 
point average as a pre-medicine major.  Boot is a five-time member of the Calvin 
Dean's List, a three-time recipient of the College Cross Country Coaches Association 
All-Academic award and a two-time member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.
 
A two-time first team All-MIAA and Great Lakes All-Region selection, Boot took second 
at the MIAA Championships this fall with a time of 18:36.  Her finish helped the 
Knights record a first place team score of 16 points which was the second best team 
score in MIAA women's cross country history.  Boot then took sixth at the Great Lakes Regional to help the Knights post a first place team score of 41 points.  At the NCAA 
III Championships November 18, she was top individual finisher for the Knights, 
placing 61st with a time of 19:04.  Boot was also a member of Calvin's 1998 and 1999 
national championship teams, serving as the team's first alternate at the 1998 
national meet and then finishing 50th at the 1999 NCAA III Championships as she 
served as Calvin's all-important fifth runner.
 
Workman is a native of Sparta and a graduate of Sparta High School.  A political 
science major with a minor in psychology, Workman carries a 3.83 grade point average.   
Workman is a seven-time member of the Calvin Dean's List, a four-time recipient of 
the College Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic award and a three-time 
member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.
 
This past fall, Workman earned first team All-MIAA honors for the third time and 
Great Lakes All-Region accolades for the fourth straight year.  At the MIAA 
Championships, she placed third individually with a time of 18:40 and followed with a 
ninth place time of 19:06 at the Great Lakes Regional.  At the NCAA III Championships 
the following week, she was Calvin's second-highest finisher, placing 96th 
individually with a time of 19:20.  Also a member of Calvin's 1998 and 1999 national 
championship teams, Workman was a member of Calvin's top-seven throughout her 
collegiate career and participated at four consecutive NCAA III National Championship 
meets.  At the 1997 NCAA's, Workman finished 87th and then finished 67th at the 1998 
NCAA's and 97th at the 1999 NCAA's.
 
Gritter, Boot and Workman were part of five individuals from the MIAA to receive 
Verizon Academic All-District IV honors in the women's at-large division as Lydia 
Rayburn (soccer) of Kalamazoo was selected to the first team and Liz Hermiller 
(soccer) of Albion was named to the second team.