College students need to make tough choice regularly. Part of being a college student is having to make the choice on whether to study or go out and have fun. Some will choose to study and some will choose to have fun.
For college athletes the decision becomes even harder. They must study and find time to relax but must also practice their sport.
Dedication to one’s sport is something we always want to see from an athlete. Much like studying for a test, practice allows an athlete to accomplish goals and gain a greater ability in their field.
Dedication forces athletes to practice, to sacrifice relaxation time and even some study time. While these are tough sacrifices, watching an athlete grow and become great at what they do is beautiful. It’s like watching a painting being created from start to finish.
Drexel University junior Chris Crawford has chosen to be great at golf.
He has chosen to dedicate himself and sacrifice in order to bring acclaim, not only to himself, but to Drexel as well. Crawford was recently named the Colonial Athletic Association golfer of the year, becoming the first Dragon to ever obtain this honor.
This is far from the first award Crawford has received during his time at Drexel. In 2013 he won the CAA rookie of the year award, while also receiving league honors. Crawford was named to the All-CAA second team.
Along with winning the CAA player of the year award this year, Crawford was also named to the All-CAA first team for the second year in a row.
Clearly, Crawford has dedicated himself to golf. He has improved on every season, learning from mistakes and correcting these mistakes to make him the best golfer in the CAA.
One of the most impressive parts of Crawford’s game is his will to keep getting better. Crawford explained that winning the award is something he is very proud of. He said that he has continual-ly focused on trying to get better each and every day.
Many athletes may find themselves getting complacent, especially winning awards that honor them as the best in their field. Crawford, however, said he is not going to let this happen.
“Winning an award like this doesn’t change much heading into next fall,” Crawford said. “I’ll simply keep working to improve.”
This season, Crawford finished in the top 10 in every tournament he played in. He was named the conference’s golfer of the week twice, and in the championship tournament he finished in fifth place.
Improving on this season seems a tall task, but with the hard work and dedication Crawford has shown through three years, the sky is the limit for his game.
Head coach Mike Dynda said that coaching Crawford has been a pleasure for the past three years, and believes that “we’ve yet to reach his potential.”
This is a truly frightening thought for Drexel’s competition: The CAA player of the year might get even better.
“There’s too many other guys out there working just as hard as I am, trying to win tournaments,” Crawford explained. “There’s always something to work on, some area of your game that has to be improved.”
Coach Dynda has been close with Crawford for three years now, and Dynda explains that beyond stats, what we don’t see is “[Crawford’s] heart and his mind, which are two of his biggest assets.”