FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Frostburg State junior Matthew Robinson (Parsonsburg, Md./Wicomico) and St. Mary's junior Juwan Kearson (Baltimore, Md./St. Paul's School) were selected by the conference senior woman administrators and athletic directors as recipients of the CAC Medal of Inspiration for the 2017-18 academic year.

The Capital Athletic Conference Medal of Inspiration is awarded to person(s) from the CAC who have persevered through extraordinary circumstances and whose determination, devotion, and passion are exemplary, revered among their peers, and worthy of special recognition.

Robinson, the second Frostburg State student-athlete to win the CAC Medal of Inspiration, is a junior men's track & field athlete for the Bobcats. On the track, Robinson opened the indoor season with a pair of top-10 efforts at West Virginia, before donating a kidney to his father in December of 2017. This selfless act caused him to miss nearly all of the indoor track and field competitions along with the first month of outdoor meets. In just three weeks of outdoor competition, Robinson qualified to compete in the CAC Championships in the 110-meter hurdles and the 400-meter hurdles, where he ended up placing in the top 10. 

Kearson, one of the top men's soccer players in the conference this season, is the sixth St. Mary's student-athlete to win the CAC Medal of Inspiration. Last summer will be one that Kearson will never forget. Less than two weeks before the start of preseason, his father George unexpectedly died of a heart attack on Aug. 6, 2017 as he watched his son play summer league soccer from the stands. Mr. Kearson was Juwan's No. 1 fan and never missed the opportunity to watch his son on the pitch. The death of his father left Juwan orphaned as his mother, Michelle, had died 12 years earlier.

The hashtag GrindForGeorge was the mantra which the St. Mary's men's soccer team followed this season as the Seahawks rallied around Juwan and dedicated this year's campaign to Mr. Kearson. Described as a workhorse, a spark plug, and an Energizer bunny, Juwan's work ethic never faltered despite his devastating loss being fresh in his mind all season long. Juwan had a strong bond with his father, one which was strengthened and made special by their love of soccer. Mr. Kearson's memory continued to push his son and although his father wasn't here to share in the moment, Juwan made his dad proud when he became the program's first-ever All-American in 2017.