NEWTOWN, Pa. (Conference News) - The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) has announced Misericordia's Quinn Crispell as the 2024 recipient of the MAC Giant Steps Award.
The MAC Giant Steps Award is presented to individuals who have overcome adversity while still succeeding in life, who use sports as a vehicle for positive social change, who break down barriers to provide opportunities to those who follow behind them, and individuals who inspire us to do great things using the positive aspects of sport.
Crispell is the second Misericordia student-athlete to earn this prestigious award joining Tom Jacob (baseball – 2021).
A sophomore member of the Misericordia cross country team, Crispell is just the second known individual with Down syndrome to compete in a varsity sport at the NCAA level. While Down Syndrome is an intellectual disability that also has physical ramifications, Crispell has never let it stop her from doing the things she loves. In fact, as a huge Disney fan, she lives her life by the Walt Disney Quote, "If you can dream it, you can do it."
Crispell overcomes the adversity of living with a disability on a daily basis and she does it with grace by simply living her life to the fullest.
"It is such an honor to be her teammate and she brings so much joy to our team", said teammate Katie Jones.
As an infant, Crispell’s first physical therapist advised her parents to avoid putting her in environments where she would be the star of the room. Rather, it was recommended that they put her in challenging situations.
As she has done throughout her life, Crispell accepted the challenge and has been doing so for more than 20 years as she has competed against typical peers in t-ball, soccer, golf and cross country.
She transitioned from soccer to cross country in middle school and has been running ever since. She ran for current King’s College assistant coach Ed Kopec in junior high and has been under the tutelage of Misericordia head coach Chris Wadas for more than eight years.
Head Coach Chris Wadas said, "I think back to the time when your parents came and asked me if you thought it would be possible for you to be able to be a student-athlete at Misericordia on our team and run and I said "absolutely"".
As a beginner in seventh grade, her mile time was 13:30. It dropped below 12:00 by the end of the year and she currently has a personal-best mile time of 8:15. She ran a 6K PR of 34:12 at the 2023 Rowan Border Battle where she finished 68th of 81 runners.
"Quinn does all of our workouts with us. I think it's amazing too that she always invites us over to go on her run with her", said Jones. "She is such a hardwarker and you can see her determination when she races."
As determined as Quinn is on the cross country course, she is just as diligent in the classroom. She takes 12 credits a semester and has qualified for the MAC Academic Honor Roll in each of her first two seasons and has made the Dean’s List in each of her first three semesters.
"Quinn, you are a rockstar, you show it everyday when you go to school taking a full class load and rock n' rolling on the cross country course," said Wadas.
Chuck Edkins, Director of Athletics said, "I am incredibly proud of what you have done and what you continue to do. Your positivity, your smile, your presence on campus, truly reflects the mission of Misericordia and we are truly proud to congratulate you on the Giant Steps Award."
Through her participation in sport, she has proven to be an inspiration to many, but especially to other families touched by Down syndrome.