FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – York senior men's lacrosse student manager Cole Fenton was selected by the conference senior woman administrators and athletic directors as the recipient of the CAC Medal of Inspiration for the 2018-19 academic year.

The Capital Athletic Conference Medal of Inspiration is awarded to a person from the CAC who has persevered through extraordinary circumstances and whose determination, devotion, and passion are exemplary, revered among his/her peers, and worthy of special recognition.

York College men's lacrosse lives by the words of Proverbs 27:17, "As iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another." No one has done more sharpening for the Spartan men's lacrosse program than Cole Fenton, their team manager. His recognition isn't about the fact that this young man has had 26 surgeries which included an excruciating leg-lengthening process, it's about how much he serves his team. No doubt, Fenton hasn't had it easy, but few of us do. This award is about the fact that he never makes excuses and always does what he can to make the people around him better -- and does it with a smile.

When Fenton got to York, he was unable to throw or catch a lacrosse ball -- among all of his physical challenges -- he has but four fingers on his right hand. Unbeknownst to anyone, he set a goal that year to learn how to throw and catch so that he could help our guys practice. Coach Childs saw Fenton playing wall ball and working on his skills all of the time, but with fused vertebrae he was doing this knowing he could never play in a game. Not once did Coach Childs see him catch a ball as a freshman -- but he never quit. 

Four years later, Cole could be seen daily on the field working with one of his teammates without ever missing a pass. He did all of this for his team. Fenton is the guy who does the behind the scenes jobs -- the dirty jobs -- the jobs that most people would choose to avoid. Cole made the York men's lacrosse program better and has from the day he walked into Coach Childs' office and said, 'Can I be on your team?'