Jed Christiansen, former Greenville High standout, has been named as one of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s outstanding senior student-athletes.
A Calvin College senior, Christiansen received the Albert H. Deal Scholar-Athlete Award, while Hope College’s Nora Kuiper was presented the Sheila Wallace Kovalchik Scholar-Athlete Award. Christiansen became Calvin’s 3rd Deal Award recipient, joining Tim Avery (’04) and Peter Boumgarden (’05).
The awards recognize senior athletes who excelled in academics and athletics, while displaying outstanding leadership qualities. The awards are named for former MIAA commissioners Albert Deal (1971-91) and Sheila Wallace Kovalchik (1991-2002).
“Jed and Nora have had marvelous careers these last four years in the classroom, on the track, and as role models in our conference. They will be missed, but their selection for these awards from such an exceptional group of nominees is an achievement for which they should take great pride,” MIAA commissioner David Neilson said via press release.
A son of Joshua and Marcia Christiansen and now a New Ipswich, N.H. resident, Jed earned 8 All-MIAA awards in cross country and track & field during his Calvin career, and Christiansen conquered collegiate cross country competition.
He earned NCAA Division III All-American laurels and helped Calvin’s Knights notch the 2006 national championship as he finished 5th. Two years later he stood 6th in the nation and earned his 4th All-American citation, becoming only the 14th distanceman in D-III annals to do so. Christiansen and Calvin claimed 4 consecutive conference crowns (he also captained Calvin as a junior), and as a senior captain he earned most valuable honors. He also was a two-time (2007-08) Great Lakes Regional Athlete of the Year, as voted by the Cross Country Coaches’ Assn.
Academically, the secondary/physical education major carries a 3.55 grade-point-average and is scheduled to graduate from Calvin in May 2010 upon completion of his student-teaching requirement.
He earned CCCA All-Academic Team honors in ’06, ’07 and ’08, was named to the ’08 U.S. Track Coaches Assn. All-Academic Team, and was a 3-time (’06-07, ’07-08, ’08-09) MIAA Academic Honor Roll member.
Additionally, Christiansen was a 4-year Calvin student mentor leader, 2-time Calvin Student-Athlete Advisory Committee member, Area 11 Michigan Special Olympics student chairperson, and served as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, Raybrook Retirement Home (Grand Rapids, Mich.), Christ Community Church, and Greenville (N.H.) Nursing Home, and contributed to an NCAA student-athlete blog.
Ed Farrell is assistant sports editor for The Herald
