(NJCAA) April 13, 2022 – Andre De Grasse, former Coffeyville CC track athlete, was named recipient of the 2022 NJCAA achievement Award during the association's spring meeting.

De Grasse, five-time NJCAA National Champion for the Red Ravens, made noise for Canada with a gold medal in the 200m and a bronze finish in the 100m at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic games that took place from July 23, 2021, to August 8, 2021. De Grasse's gold medal was Canada's first gold on the track since Donovan Bailey's 100m win in Atlanta in 1996. 

Just four years ago in the 2016 Rio Olympics, the sprinter claimed medals in all three events he competed in; silver in the 200m, bronze in the 100m, and bronze in the 4x100m relay. Altogether, De Grasse has earned a total of six Olympic medals.

While a student-athlete at Coffeyville from 2013-14, De Grasse was a 5-time NJCAA National Champion, winning NJCAA Division I Track and Field titles in the 2013 indoor 60m and outdoor 100m, as well as the 2014 indoor 60m and 200m titles and the outdoor 200m title. 

In 2015, De Grasse continued his academic and athletic career at the University of Southern California and won NCAA titles in the 100m and 200m while being named the 2015 NCAA Track Athlete of the Year. In the summer of 2015, De Grasse turned professional as a Canadian runner after signing the largest initial track and field contract ever at the time with Puma.

Reserved for recognizing superior athletic success, the Achievement Award is presented to a former NJCAA student-athlete that has displayed outstanding ability in national, professional, Olympic or international competition while also displaying excellent ethical character. Nominees must be five years removed from his/her last competition in the NJCAA.