Christie Cleland Hursey made MIAA history during the1995-96 academic year when she became the only woman to achievefirst-team status in three sports in one school year. Christie, whowas just the third athlete (male or female) in the MIAA to make theAll-Conference first team in three sports in one year, finished hercareer as a six-time first-team award winner, achieving first-teamstatus in soccer all four years.
She began her senior year by becoming the first Briton toclaim the MIAA most valuable player award in soccer after producingthen-school records of 18 goals and 46 points. The Great LakesRegion second-team selection also made 10 assists during the 1995campaign to tie another former single-season schoolmark.
On the basketball court, Christie led the MIAA and ranked14th among NCAA Division III players in assists with an average of6.1 per game. She also finished 17th in Division III in free-throwpercentage, sinking 94 of 115 attempts from the charitystripe.
In the spring, she posted a .400 batting average for thesoftball team. She led the team in hits, runs batted in, and stolenbases, and tied for first in runs scored and walks.
“Her secret to success is simple and can be summedup in two words—hard work,” said former Albion softballcoach Lisa Melz. “Christie is the true epitome of what itmeans to be an Albion College student-athlete.”
Christie graduated magna cum laude andwas selected for Academic All-America teams in soccer and softball.She went on to complete a master’s degree in athleticadministration at Michigan State University in 2001, and shecurrently teaches physical education classes and serves as thesoccer coach at Mason High School. Christie and her husband, Tyler,are the parents of a son, Andrew, and a daughter,Rachel.
