The Big South Conference has given two Radford University student-athletes, Cassi Barbato and Marley Krach, the prestigious Christenberry Award for Academic Excellence.
The award is given to a graduating male and female student-athlete who attain the highest GPA during their undergraduate collegiate careers. 2025 marks the 13th consecutive season that at least six Big South student-athletes have been honored with the 12 total recipients tying a conference record.
A four-year Highlander and a leader on and off the field, Barbato graduates this spring after earning a 4.0 GPA as an Exercise, Sport and Health Education major. Most recently named the Big South’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Barbato has also collected multiple NFCA all-academic awards, Dean’s List and Presidential Honor Roll awards throughout her Radford career. On the field, Barbato has been a consistent starter all four seasons appearing in 190 games with 181 starts while totaling 141 hits, 21 doubles, 7 home runs, 80 RBI, 53 runs scored and 10 sacrifice hits which rank top 10 in program history.
Krach graduates from Radford this spring after earning a 4.0 GPA towards her degree in Biology. Splitting time at midfield and defender, Krach appeared in 19 games throughout her Radford career totaling 286 minutes played. In 2024, she struck her first and second career goals in a win over South Carolina State and secured a tie at Winthrop. In her three years at Radford, Krach has been named to the Dean’s List every semester as well as the president’s honor roll all three seasons.
Barbato and Krach mark the third consecutive season a Radford student-athlete has earned the academic award. In 2024, fellow women’s soccer alumna Kristen Chick last took home the honor. Overall, Radford now totals 21 student-athletes who have earned the Christenberry Award.
Big South member institutions nominate one male and one female student-athlete for the annual Christenberry Award, or multiple student-athletes that tie for the highest GPA on their respective campus. The honor is named for George A. Christenberry, the former President of Augusta College (now Augusta University) and one of the founders of the Big South Conference. A member of the Big South Hall of Fame, Christenberry served as the league’s first President from 1983-86.
