DALLAS -Recent Marist graduate Raeanna Gutkowski (Long Valley, N.J.), a four-year member of the volleyball program, was honored with the Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award at the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics (N4A) Awards Luncheon this past Saturday.
The Wilma Rudolph award is presented "to student-athletes who have overcome insurmountable odds and deserve our recognition and encouragement for their achievements at their institutions and in their personal lives." Gutkowski was nominated for the award by Marist Director of Student-Athlete Enhancement Alyssa Gates, a member of the N4A.
In the spring of 2009 - during her sophomore year - Gutkowski was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a pediatric bone cancer. She began her treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and spent weeks at a time in intensive care fighting infections and the side effects of her treatments. She returned to campus in January of 2010, and continued to contribute to the volleyball team as a leader and on the practice floor.
Gutkowski was one of six Wilma Rudolph Award recipients nationwide this year. She is the second Marist student-athlete to earn this honor in school history and in as many years, as Megan Mahoney of women's crew was a 2010 Wilma Rudolph Award honoree.
Gutkowski majored in Business Administration, and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Marist last month.