Charity Byrum Honored With The Prestigious Christenberry Award for Academic Excellence.
April 30, 2015 | Swimming
CHARLOTTE, N.C.- Gardner-Webb senior women's swimmer Charity Byrum has been awarded with the Big South Conference's prestigious George A. Christenberry Award for Academic Excellence.
The award is given to the male and female student-athlete who attains the highest GPA during their college careers. The award is named for George A. Christenberry, the former President of Augusta College (now Georgia Regents University-Augusta) and one of the founders of the Big South Conference. A member of the Big South Hall of Fame, Christenberry served as the League's first President from 1983-86.
Byrum has maintained a perfect 4.00 GPA, will graduate in May with a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science.
A native of Winston Salem, Byrum helped guide the Runnin' Bulldogs to a fourth place finish at the Coastal Collegiate Swim Assoication Championships in both her freshman and senior seasons. She concludes her four-year career as a seven-time All-CCSA performer and made her first national final at the 2015 AT&T Winter Nationals, swimming a lifetime best time of 1:02.15 in the 100 yard breaststroke.
The true definition of a student athlete, Byrum was named to the CCSA's All-Academic team in all four of her years competing for the Runnin' Bulldogs, and was also named an Honorable Mention Scholastic All-American by the College Swim Coaches Association of America as a freshman.
Byrum is one of three student-athletes from Gardner-Webb to earn the prestigious award for academic excellence, and marks the fifth time in the last six years that Gardner-Webb has had both a male and female student-athlete earn the Christenberry Award.
The Conference will formally present the awards on May 28 at The Marriott Resort in Hilton Head, S.C., as part of the League's Spring Meetings and Hall of Fame Dinner.
