NEWPORT NEWS, VA. – Christopher Newport cross country runner Grace Lovegrove passed away this afternoon, two days after suffering cardiac arrest while on a training run.
Miss Lovegrove, a freshman from Roanoke, Va., had participated with the CNU cross country program and was in training for the indoor track season.
"We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Grace Lovegrove," said Christopher Newport Director of Athletics C.J. Woollum. "She was a wonderful young lady who was loved by all who knew her. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and to her teammates, coaches and friends. Our Athletic Department has been blessed to have been touched by Grace."
A graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Miss Lovegrove had earned second team All-USA South honors in her first year at CNU. At the conference championship meet she placed seventh with a time of 28:49 for 6,000 meters.
At Patrick Henry High School she won four varsity letters each in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. She was a four-time All-Western Valley District runner and a multiple-time All-District performer in track.
She was an A-B Honor Roll student. In addition, she was on the Dean's List and a member of the French Honor Society. She was majoring in Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Marine Sciences at CNU.
She is survived by her parents, Richard and Clarissa Lovegrove, and her 11-year-old brother Spencer