Paige McCracken Receives Kim Moore Spirit Award

June 5, 2008

Butler senior Paige McCracken was named the 2007-08 Division I recipient of the Kim Moore Spirit Award by the National Golf Coaches Association. McCracken received the award at the NGCA Division I Awards Banquet, held in Alburquerque, New Mexico on May 24.

McCracken, who completed her fourth season on the Butler women's golf team this past spring, became the fourth Division I recipient of the award, which is dedicated to former University of Indianapolis golfer Kim Moore. The purpose of the award is to recognize and honor a student-athlete who exemplifies a great spirit toward the game of golf, a positive attitude on and off the golf course, a role model for her team and mental toughness in facing challenges.

McCracken overcame tragedy several times during her golf career, and she emerged as one of the top performers in the Horizon League. She lost her mom to cancer in 2004 and her father to a heart attack in 2006. This past spring, her maternal grandmother also passed away from cancer.

A three-time All-Horizon League golfer, McCracken was named Butler's Most Outstanding Female Senior Athlete in 2007-08. She helped lead Butler to four consecutive Horizon League women's golf championships, and she earned league All-Tournament recognition for four straight years. She was the Horizon League Tournament medalist in 2007, and she ranked among the league's top scorers in each of her four seasons.

And her success wasn't limited to the golf course. An honor student majoring in English Literature and Spanish, McCracken was named an All-American Scholar by the National Golf Coaches Association in 2006. She's earned Academic All-League recognition, been picked to the league Academic Honor Roll and has been named Academic All-District. She earned her undergraduate degree earlier this month.

The National Golf Coaches Association, founded in 1983, is a non-profit organization representing women's collegiate golf coaches. The NGCA represents nearly 500 coaches throughout the U.S. and is dedicated to educating, promoting and recognizing both its members and the student-athletes they represent.

--Story provided by the Butler office of sports information