Clayton State University Athletics

The first female All-American in program history, Joni Guffey (Gruwell) produced one of the most impressive careers over the course of her four years as a member of the cross country and track & field programs.
 
In cross country she set multiple program records, resetting both the 5k and 6k records twice each during the 2001 season. The 6k marks are still the ninth and 10^th fastest in program history 17 years later. Additionally she won four meets during her career and was named the team's Most Valuable Runner in 1998, 2000 and 2001.
 
Team recognition was far from her only such cross country honors, however, as she earned NCAA Division II All-Region honors with a sixth place finish in 2001 and picked up a pair of All-PBC honors in 1999 and 2001. The latter would come off of a third place championship finish and a 14^th place outing in 1999.
 
She would be just as accomplished on the track, if not more so. A record setter, Guffey would establish the program mark in the 800-meters in 2002 and see it stand up until eventually being broken in 2015 and also held outdoor marks in the 800-meters, distance medley relay and 4x800-meter relay. All of the latter were set in 2002 and stood for at least a decade.
 
It would be performances like that from that season that would help her make history as on May 25, 2002 she became the first female student-athlete to earn All-American honors. She would accomplish that feat by placing sixth in the 1,500-meters at the NCAA Division II National Championships in San Angelo, Texas.
 
As her accomplishments mounted on the course and track, Guffey built up just as impressive an academic resume over the course of her career. She would be a three-time United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic selection (1999-2001), named as a Verizon Academic All-District III choice (2001) and be a two-time honoree of the Clayton State Barfield Academic Award (2001, 2002).
 
The latter, representing the highest qualifying GPA, was presented to one individual out of all of Clayton State's student-athletes at that time. Hand-in-hand with the way she went about her business, Guffey also earned the 2002 Laker Award as the top student-athlete at the institution. That award heavily weighted both academic excellence and academic success.
 
She would also go on to hold six track & field program records at the time of her graduation, which would see her at the top her class in accounting.




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