GROVE CITY, Pa. – Grove City College will induct five former athletic standouts into its Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, September 23. The induction will be held in conjunction with Grove City's home football game against Carnegie Mellon at Robert E. Thorn Field.

Cross country All-American Kristen (Carter '09) Schafer, national champion swimmer Caleb Courage '09, baseball/football standout Mike Kashurba '02, football/wrestling standout Jim Poole '70, and national champion swimmer Tim Whitbeck '09 comprise the Class of 2023.

The inductees will be honored in the afternoon and formally recognized prior to Grove City's 7 p.m. football game with Carnegie Mellon. This is the first class of Grove City College Hall of Fame inductees since February 2020.

"We are very excited to resume our Athletic Hall of Fame program this fall," Grove City athletic director Todd Gibson said. "The COVID-19 pandemic unfortunately caused an interruption in the Hall of Fame. However, the break also gave us an opportunity to evaluate the Athletic Hall of Fame from an operational standpoint.

"Our annual night home football game has become one of the premier annual on-campus events. We feel that the decision to hold our Hall of Fame ceremonies in conjunction with the annual night home football game will be a great boost to an already strong program."

Here are biographies of this year's inductees:

Kristen (Carter '09) Schafer

One of the most accomplished runners in Grove City College and Presidents' Athletic Conference history, Kristen Carter earned Division III All-America honors and eight individual conference titles during her career from 2005 to 2009.

The Bellingham, Wash., native highlighted her cross country career by earning All-America honors by taking 26th overall at the 2007 NCAA Division III Championships in Northfield, Minn. She also competed at the national championships in both 2006 and 2008.

Carter achieved All-Mideast Region honors in each of her four seasons. She took seventh as a sophomore before earning fifth at the 2007 Mideast Championships. She then finished as regional runner-up at the 2008 Mideast meet in Waynesburg, Pa., helping Grove City place fifth.

As a freshman, she earned All-Region by finishing 34th at the 2005 Mideast Championships. The Wolverines finished fourth at the regional championship, the best regional finish in program history.

Carter won the individual conference championship in each of her final three seasons, earning the league's Most Valuable Performer award. In 2008, she won the conference title with a Grove City-record time of 21 minutes, 4 seconds. She also earned First Team All-PAC in 2005 after finishing runner-up.

The NCAA recognized Carter with its Sportsmanship Award in honor of Carter's exemplary actions following the 2007 conference championships.

Grove City won the Presidents' Athletic Conference women's cross country title in each of her four seasons.

Carter also won five individual outdoor track and field titles. Her top time of 4:47.75 set the conference record in the 1500 and her time of 17:59.49 also established a conference standard in the 5000. As a senior, Carter provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 10,000.

She credits much of her success to head cross country coach Sean Severson, as well as teammates Callie (Martin) Spaulding, Anna (Butler) Knowles and Julia (Seward) O'Daniel, who were known as the "fantastic four" for the four years they ran together."

Carter capped her career by winning the College's Sportswoman of the Year award. Following her collegiate career, Carter qualified for -- and competed in -- the 2012 and 2016 United States Olympic Marathon Trials.
 
Caleb Courage '09
 
Caleb Courage highlighted his distinguished swimming career at Grove City College by capturing three NCAA Division III titles in the 100 freestyle and 18 total NCAA Division III All-America citations. He graduated as the most decorated athlete in Grove City College history.

Courage became Grove City's 46th all-time men's swimming and diving All-American as a freshman when he placed fourth in the 100 freestyle at the NCAA Championships in Holland, Mich.

Courage won the first of his three national titles as a sophomore in 2006 when he captured the 100 freestyle in Minneapolis. Courage became the first Grove City men's swimmer to win a national title.

The Shippensburg, Pa., native successfully defended his national title at the 2007 NCAA Championships in Houston, winning the 100 free in 44.36 seconds. Courage also took second in the 50 free to teammate Tim Whitbeck, helping Grove City place ninth in the team standings.

After spending the 2007-08 season training for – and competing in – the United States Olympic Trials, Courage returned to Grove City for his senior season in 2008-09.

Courage won his third NCAA title in the 100 free with a winning time of 43.62 seconds in the finals. In the preliminaries, he broke a 22-year-old NCAA Division III record in that event with a time of 43.60 seconds.

He also placed runner-up in the 50 free at the 2009 NCAA Championships, helping lead the Wolverines to sixth place in the team standings, the best-ever national finish for the program.

Courage also helped Grove City to the 2009 Presidents' Athletic Conference title. A four-time conference Most Valuable Performer, Courage won 11 individual conference titles and contributed to 10 relay titles in his four seasons.

He set conference records in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle, as well as the 100 backstroke and 200 individual medley.

Courage capped his career by earning the College's Sportsman of the Year award for the 2008-09 academic year. 
 
Mike Kashurba '02
 
Mike Kashurba excelled on the baseball diamond and the gridiron at Grove City College from 1998 to 2001, helping both the baseball and football programs to Presidents' Athletic Conference titles.

Kashurba started all four seasons at shortstop for the Grove City baseball team and concluded his career as the program's all-time leader with 108 runs scored and 126 games played.

He also recorded 143 hits, the second-highest total in program history upon graduation. His 93 career runs batted in ranked second in program history, as did his 215 career total bases and 49 steals.

In 2001, Kashurba helped lead the Wolverines to the program's first conference title as he went 7 for 14 with eight runs batted in during the conference tournament. His three-run home run in the title game lifted Grove City to a 7-4 win over Bethany.

The Latrobe (Pa.) High School product led Grove City with 12 stolen bases that year and earned the fourth of his four All-PAC citations.

As a sophomore in 1999, Kashurba hit .291 while stealing 27 bases as Grove City set a program record with 24 victories. He hit .402 as a freshman to help the Wolverines advance to the 1998 conference tournament title game and posted a career-best .416 average in 2000.

Kashurba also earned All-PAC honors at defensive back for the Grove City football team in 1998 and 1999. He intercepted a conference-leading six passes from his free safety position in 1998 as Grove City captured its second straight conference title.

The conference head coaches recognized Kashurba as a Second Team All-PAC performer in 1998. He then earned First Team All-PAC as a sophomore in 1999 after intercepting four passes and recording 85 total tackles. He also led the conference in punt return yardage and average in 1999.

After missing the 2000 season due to injury, Kashurba switched to quarterback for his senior season. He started all 10 games and led the team in total offensive yards.
 
Jim Poole '70
 
Two-sport standout Jim Poole helped the Grove City College wrestling and football programs reach historic heights during his distinguished career from 1966 to 1970.

Poole compiled a 33-11 record in his four years as a starter for the Grove City wrestling squad. After posting an 8-1 mark at 145 pounds as a freshman, Poole went 9-3 at 152 pounds during his sophomore season. That year, he helped the Wolverines to a program-record nine dual meet victories.

The Cedar Cliff (Pa.) High School graduate again went 8-3 in the 152-pound weight class as a junior in 1968-69. He co-captained the 1969-70 team as a senior and won 8 of 12 matches while splitting time between the 150- and 158-pound weight classes under head coach Joe Kopnisky.

His 33 career wins ranked second in program history upon graduation.

A member of Grove City's undefeated 1966 football team, Poole moved into the starting lineup at linebacker in 1967 and spent three seasons as a stalwart on the Wolverine defense. In Poole's three seasons as a starter, Grove City limited opponents to 2.9 yards per carry while also forcing opposing quarterbacks to throw 61 interceptions.

Grove City held 13 opponents to one touchdown or fewer from 1967 to 1969.

The Wolverines went 6-3 during the 1967 season, then posted a 7-2 record during his junior year. Grove City's 21 wins from 1966 to 1968 tied the program record for most victories in a three-year span. Overall, the Wolverines went 24-9-2 during Poole's career.

Following graduation, Poole taught science and gifted education in the Grove City Area School District while also working as a football and wrestling coach. He also served as a scholastic wrestling official for 25 years and earned the opportunity to officiate the PIAA Championships on three occasions. 
 
Tim Whitbeck '09

The 2007 NCAA Division III champion in the 50 freestyle, Tim Whitbeck concluded his distinguished swimming career at Grove City College as a 14-time NCAA Division III All-American.

Whitbeck became Grove City's second all-time men's swimming national champion when he recorded a winning time of 20.25 seconds at the 2007 NCAA Championships in Houston.

Whitbeck also took third nationally in the 50 freestyle in both 2008 and 2009, earning All-America honors each year. He also earned Division III All-America recognition in the 100 freestyle in each of his final two seasons.

A native of Saegertown, Pa., Whitbeck helped nine Grove City relay squads achieve All-America status, including the Wolverines' runner-up performance in the 200 free relay at the 2006 NCAA Championships in Minneapolis.

Grove City placed sixth in the team standings at the 2009 NCAA Championships, marking the best national finish in program history. The Wolverines finished ninth at the 2007 national championships.

As a junior in 2008, he earned Presidents' Athletic Conference Most Valuable Performer after winning conference titles in the 50 free, 100 free and 100 backstroke. His efforts helped Grove City capture its first league crown in four years.

Whitbeck then co-captained Grove City's 2009 conference title squad. That year, helped Grove City set school and conference records in the 200 and 400 free relays, as well as both medley relays. All four records still stood upon his induction.

He also earned CoSIDA Academic All-District recognition during the 2008-09 season.

The PAC recognized Whitbeck as a member of its 60th Anniversary Team in 2015. The men's swimming and diving program inducted Whitbeck into its Hall of Fame in 2016.