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Date11/27/2022
Nominee NameNeely Spence Gracey
Name while competingNeely Spence
Institution AttendedShippensburg University
First Year at Institution2008
Final Year at Institution2012
# of Individual National Championships6
# of All-America Honors11
# of USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Year Awards2
# of USTFCCCA Regional Athlete of the Year Awards7
# of Conference Athlete Awards10
Athletic Achievements/Important Information

http://shipraiders.com/neelyspence

• 10-Time PSAC Athlete of the Year
(Neely was PSAC Athlete of the Year for every season in her career ['08 XC -- '11 XC])

2-Time USTFCCCA National Cross Country Athlete of the Year
(2010, 2011)

• 11-time NCAA All-American
[XC: 2008 (2nd), 2010 (1st), 2011 (1st)]
[ITF: 2009 (DMR; 1st), 2010 (DMR; 2nd, 5K; 1st), 2011 (DMR; 1st, 5K; 2nd)]
[OTF: 2009 (5K; 1st), 2010 (5K; 1st), 2011 (5K; 1st)]

• 8-time NCAA National Champion
[XC: 2010 and 2011]
[ITF: 2009 DMR, 2010 5K, 2011 DMR]
[OTF: 2009 5K, 2010 5K, 2011 5K]

NCAA National Championships Competition in Track (career)
8-Time D-II All-American | 6-Time D-II National Champion
11-Time D-II Automatic Qualifier | 4-Time D-II Provisional Qualifier

PSAC Track Competition (career)
19-Time PSAC Place Winner | 19-Time All-PSAC Award Winner | 17-Time PSAC Champion

NCAA National Championships Competition in XC (career)
2008 Division II All-American (2nd; 21:27)
2009 Division II Competitor (43rd; 22:04)
2010 Division II National Champion / All-American (1st; 20:41)
2011 Division II National Champion / All-American (1st; 20:53)

NCAA National Championships Competition in XC (career)
2008 Division II All-American (2nd; 21:27)
2009 Division II Competitor (43rd; 22:04)
2010 Division II National Champion / All-American (1st; 20:41)
2011 Division II National Champion / All-American (1st; 20:53)

SHIP School Records
Indoors: Mile: 4:48:54 | 3K: 9:27.79 (PSAC record) | 5K: 16:01.05 (PSAC record) | 4x8: 9:04.77 (PSAC record) | DMR: 11:24.54 (PSAC record, NCAA meet record)
Outdoors: 1500: 4:24.59 | 3K: 9:10.82 (PSAC record) | 5K: 15:33.83 (PSAC/D2 record) | 4x8: 9:02.85 (PSAC record)

2010 NCAA Division II Women's Sportsmanship Award (honored at NCAA Convention for national award)

Additional Information
Track & Field and/or Cross Country Academic Awards or Accolades:Bachelor’s degree in Human Communications Studies (coaching minor) (3.85 cumulative QPA) • 5-Time PSAC Top 10 Award Winner [W ’10, F ’10, W ’11, S ’11, F ’11 • 3-Time CoSIDA Academic All-American ® (Third Team, 2009-10; Second Team, 2010-11; First Team, 2011-12) • 2-Time PSAC/Pete Nevins Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2010-11, 2011-12)
Accomplishments from other institutions/affiliations

While a collegian…
• 2009 USA Track & Field Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year
• 2009 USA Junior Cross Country National Champion
• 2009 USA Junior Team Captain at IAAF World Cross Country Championships (19th place)
• 2011 USATF Championships (7th in 5K)
• 2011 Pan American Games
• 2012 Great Edinburgh Cross Country (4th place finisher)

Post-Collegiate Accomplishments

5th at USATF XC Nationals 2013
Top American and first non-African (13th) at the World XC Champs 2013
5th at USATF 5k Road Champs 2013
` Queen of the Mountain and 6th overall at MRR 2014
5th and top non-African at Campaccio IAAF XC 2015
Runner-Up at Gasparilla Half Marathon 2015 (Olympic Trials qualifier)
3rd at Gate River Run 15k USATF Champs 2015
2nd American at Bolder Boulder 10k 2015
Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon Champion 2015
2nd American at Falmouth 7miler 2015
4th at USATF 20k Championships 2015
2nd at USATF 10mi Championships 2015
11th American woman to break 70:00 for half marathon 2015
RnR New Orleans Champ 2016
1st American at the Boston Marathon 2016 (9th overall)
1st American at the PeachTree 10k (4th over all)
RnR Chicago Champ 2016
2nd American at Falmouth 7miler 2016
2nd American at the NYC Marathon 2016 (8th overall)
RnR Arizona Champ 2017
RnR New Orleans Champ 2017
3rd at USATF 15k Championships 2017
2nd at USATF 25k Championships 2017
2nd American at the Bolder Boulder 10k 2017 (5th overall)
2nd American at Falmouth 7miler 2017
Maternity leave (2017-2018)
CIM relay (2018)
CIM relay (2019)
Houston Marathon 2020 (OTQ)
3x Olympic Trials Qualifier (2012, 2016, 2020)
Olympic Marathon Trials 2020
Maternity leave 2020-2021
Runner-up at the Bolder Boulder 10k 2022
Overall winner of the Steamboat Half Marathon 2022

Nominator Information
Nominator NameBill Morgal