Clarion University junior swimmer Jamie Maloney (York/Dallastown) is the inaugural female winner of the PSAC Sportsmanship Award.
The award is given to one male and one female student-athlete who best exemplifies the spirit of sportsmanship and who has demonstrated the values of respect and integrity through a specific action ideally directed toward an opponent. Nominees must also have represented his/her institution in a positive way during competition and must have demonstrated good citizenship outside of competition by fostering a good public image.
Maloney earned the award after making a very generous gesture at this year’s PSAC Swimming Championship meet. As she was preparing to swim one of her individual races, she noticed a West Chester female swimmer was panicking after her goggles broke one heat before her race. Maloney didn’t hesitate to lend her own goggles to the swimmer even though West Chester is traditionally Clarion's biggest rival and the teams usually dual for the conference championship.
“It was no big deal,” Maloney said. “I hope someone would do the same for me.”
Maloney, who also runs track and field at Clarion, has been involved in many community activities in her three years at the school including participating in Clarion’s canned food drive for the local food bank, Junior Olympics, Special Olympics and various Make-A-Wish fundraisers including the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) including SAAC’s Parents Night Out program.
NOTES – Maloney will now be nominated for the NCAA Division II Sportsmanship Award which will be announced in July … The PSAC Sportsmanship Award was implemented by the PSAC SAAC this year … More information on Clarion athletics can be found at www.clariongoldeneagles.com <http://www.clariongoldeneagles.com>.
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