A championship cross country and track and field runner, Hamill has been racking up a whole new bunch of firsts lately. At the NCAA convention, she was presented with the NCAA Today Top VIII Award, which recognizes superior achievement in athletics, academics, character and leadership. Hamill is the first Amherst scholar and first NESCAC student to receive the award, as well as the first Div. III athlete in three years to be honored as a Top VIII athlete.
Former Sports Information Director and current Director of Alumni and Parents Programs Kevin Graber, who nominated Hamill for the award, said, "Having both Carter and Raul receive national awards as part of the NCAA Centennial Celebration was a major milestone for the College. As an award winner, Carter was in very select company and not only excelled, but stood out in her acceptance."
Presenting Hamill with the Top VIII Award was an emotional experience for her former coach, Erik Nedeau. "It is arguably the greatest award that a student-athlete could win," he said. "To be able to hand her the Top VIII Award in front of representatives from every school, regardless of division, and in front of television cameras for ESPN, was a thrill for me because it represented all that she did here at Amherst," he said. "She truly embodies the spirit of Amherst as she always strove to be the best that she could-as a runner, as a student, and as a person-and to be recognized for those efforts by the NCAA with this award really says a great deal about her."
Altreche, a goalie for the men's lacrosse team, became the first Amherst student to receive the NCAA Inspiration Award. The head coach of the men's lacrosse team, Tom Carmean, also attended the ceremony, and was very impressed by the caliber of the group of honorees Altreche was joining. "Seeing [the award] in that context [of the ceremony] really brought it home as to how the rest of the world really views him and the things he was able to accomplish from where he started," Carmean said. "He is so independent and very humble about what he has accomplished as a person."
Carmean also described how happy the men's lacrosse team is for their goalie. "Our players recognize that they are part of his family, so they support him like that," he said.