Burnaby Olympian among trio of SFU alumni up for this NCAA award

Lindsey Butterworth tore up the rubber while wearing the red jersey of her hometown Simon Fraser University (SFU) track and field team nearly 10 years ago.

Since then, the Burnaby athlete has gone on to represent Canada at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, and added two golds and a silver at the national track and field championships.

Now, the 30-year-old is being considered for a legacy award by the NCAA.

Butterworth is one of three SFU alumni nominated for the Div. II Gold Award as the league is gearing up to celebrate its 50th anniversary of collegiate sports in North America.

She's one of a total of 18 finalists from across the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) for the honour, which will be cut down to two athletes — one woman and one man — for the national vote.

Butterworth was the 2015 NCAA Div. II national champion in the 800 metre race at the indoor and outdoor contests. she was also named the GNAC female athlete of the year for 2014-15.

The Coastal Track Club member earned seven All-American selections during her career with SFU, which included track and field and cross-country.

Internationally, Butterworth finished fifth in her preliminary heat at the 2020 Olympics, not enough to move on to the semifinals.

She did, however, reach the semis at the 2019 and 2022 world championships.

Butterworth was the national 800-metre gold medalist at the 2018 and 2021 Canadian track and field championships, as well as a silver in 2022.

She's shortlisted with Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, a former Red Leafs basketball star turned SFU assistant coach, and Carlo Basso, a former soccer player and now interim head coach of the women's squad.

For more information on the alumni and the NCAA Gold Award, you can visit the SFU Athletics website.