Red Raven Alumnus Andre De Grasse Honored With NJCAA Achievement Award

Birmingham, Ala. - Red Raven Track Alumnus Andre De Grasse has been awarded the 2022 NJCAA Achievement Award at the 2022 NJCAA National Convention held in Birmingham Alabama.

The NJCAA Achievement Award is awarded is "Reserved for recognizing superior athletic success, the Achievement Award is presented to a former NJCAA student-athlete that has displayed outstanding ability in national, professional, Olympic, or international competition while also displaying excellent ethical character. Nominees must be five years removed from his/her last competition in the NJCAA."

Andre De Grasse, five-time NJCAA National Champion for the Red Ravens, made noise for Canada with a gold medal in the 200m and a bronze finish in the 100m at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic games that took place from July 23, 2021, to August 8, 2021. De Grasse's gold medal was Canada's first gold on the track since Donovan Bailey's 100m win in Atlanta in 1996. 

Just four years ago in the 2016 Rio Olympics, the sprinter claimed medals in all three events he competed in; silver in the 200m, bronze in the 100m, and bronze in the 4x100m relay. Altogether, DeGrasse has earned a total of six Olympic medals.

While a student-athlete at Coffeyville from 2013-14, DeGrasse was a 5-time NJCAA National Champion, winning NJCAA Division I Track and Field titles in the 2013 indoor 60m and outdoor 100m, as well as the 2014 indoor 60m and 200m titles and the outdoor 200m title. 

In 2015, Degrasse continued his academic and athletic career at the University of Southern California and won NCAA titles in the 100m and 200m while being named the 2015 NCAA Track Athlete of the Year. In the summer of 2015, DeGrasse turned professional as a Canadian runner after signing the largest initial track and field contract ever at the time with Puma.

De Grasse running at the 2013 NJCAA Outdoor Championship