Caterina Granz Named University Athlete of the Year
Freie Universität Berlin Student Honored at the Annual Meeting of the German University Sports Association in Hamburg
№ 347/2019 from Nov 17, 2019
Psychology student Caterina Granz from Freie Universität Berlin received the honor of female athlete of the year from the German university sports association, Allgemeiner Deutscher Hochschulsportverband. It has been a big year for Granz, who won the German national championship in track and field for the 1500 meter race as well as a gold medal at the 30th Universiade in Naples – and now this latest honor from the university sports association at their annual general assembly. She was selected for her exceptional performance at the Summer Universiade earlier this year, according to the association. Founded in 1948, the Allgemeiner Deutscher Hochschulsportverband is an association of university sports organizations from across Germany. Almost 200 universities are members representing around 2.4 million students and 550,000 employees.
Caterina Granz calls it an “amazing honor.” For her, it was also special to be recognized for her personal achievements outside of a competitive sports event. In July 2019, she was the only competitor from the German team of students to win a gold medal at the Universiade in Naples. Around 8,000 athletes from over 150 countries participated. The Summer Universiade is the largest multi-sport event in the world after the Olympics.
Christian Mundhenk, the director of the University Sports Center at Freie Universität Berlin, congratulated Caterina Granz. He noted that Granz is a great example of someone who shows that it is possible to pursue the dual path of both student and athlete at Freie Universität. Freie Universität Berlin is currently home to 20 students who are also major athletes.