Spivey Wins America East Sportsmanship Award

Chris Spivey, a 2006 University of Hartford graduate who was a star sprinter on the men's track and field team, has been chosen as one of the winners of the first America East Sportsmanship Awards. The other award went to Rachel Laws, a member of the Binghamton women's basketball team.

Spivey and Laws now become finalists for the NCAA Male and Female Sportsmanship Awards, to be determined by the NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct.

Spivey and Laws were selected by the America East Sportsmanship Committee, which includes athletics administrators, coaches and student-athletes from the nine member institutions. The two athletes were chosen based on demonstrating good sportsmanship and ethical behavior in daily participation in athletics, demonstrating good citizenship outside the sports-competition setting, and maintaining good academic performance.

Spivey is a standout athlete, holding school records in four events, on a team that does not offer athletic scholarships. As a result, he was often the lone Hartford athlete to score points at a meet. Despite this, he was always positive toward his teammates, encouraging them to perform at the highest level. At the America East Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the final meet of his career, Spivey led the 100 meters only to pull his hamstring and finish seventh. While on the training room table, he heard the awards ceremony begin and immediately left his treatment to congratulate the winner of the 100-meter event.

Spivey is a member of the Hartford Student Athlete Advisory Council and is active in his hometown church, the Holy Tabernacle of Boston. He is involved with youth departments in both Boston and Hartford.

He graduated in May with a degree in computer engineering technology from the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA).