Trophy News from The Daily Eastern News
Gartner named finalist for national award - CLASS award recognizes excellence in class and on field
Eastern senior defender Adam Gartner was named one of 30 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS award.
He was the only finalist named from the Missouri Valley Conference for the award that acknowledges dedication and hard work in the classroom, character, community and competition.
The CLASS award recognizes senior athletes in eight NCAA Division I sports.
The CLASS award differs from other athletic honors given because athletics are just one factor taken into consideration.
Eastern head coach Adam Howarth said Gartner is a quiet leader on and off the field. The Iowa City, Iowa, native has a 3.64 GPA and has received several academic awards. He is a two-time ESPN Academic All-District award winner and was named a First Team MVC Scholar Athlete and a National Soccer Coaches Association of America Second Team Scholar All-American in 2007.
“I was very excited,” Howarth said of Gartner’s nomination. “He puts in a lot of hard work in the classroom, on the field and in the community.”
Gartner is in his fourth year playing soccer at Eastern and was named a preseason All-MVC player before the start of this season. Gartner has two assists and two goals this season after ending the 2007 season with nine assists and eight goals. He has 17 assists for his Eastern career (tied for 10th all-time).
Gartner said he was surprised to be nominated, but he said it was an honor to be recognized for his accomplishments both on and off the field. He said his parents always pushed him to get his school work done first.
“They supported me a lot, Gartner said. “They understand how it’s been and that it is difficult. They came to every game so far this season to support me.”
Balancing academics and other aspects of life can be tough for student-athletes, but that is what Gartner has done in his four years at Eastern.
“I try to stay on top of things,” Gartner said. “In high school I did well managing my time – like getting my priorities straight and getting work done. Here, (Howarth) helps us out, gives us time to study and puts academics first.”
Gartner said he would like to continue playing soccer after graduation, but he said he is keeping his options open if that doesn’t pan out. Those options could involve using his finance degree.
“I don’t want to close out soccer, but I know I can’t play my whole life so I want to consider graduate school and a career in financial planning,” Gartner said.
Howarth said Gartner not only works hard in class and on the soccer field but also helps out in the community.
“I think that with Adam school is first then it’s soccer in a close second,” Howarth said. “He does good work with kids. He volunteers with the team every Monday.”
But despite his success in academics and volunteer time he puts in, Gartner still excels on the soccer field, and that includes a position switch during the middle of his college career.
“The other year he got a new position – midfield to defender – and that’s not always easy,” said senior forward Brad Peters. “He’s also been a good person, and I think he finally came into his own.”
Originally written by Karolina Strack/Staff Reporter
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