LA GRANDE, Ore. - College of Idaho senior
Claire Otero was selected as the 2018 recipient of the U.S. Bank-Cascade Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year award - the top academic honor bestowed on an athlete in the league.
Otero becomes just the third C of I student-athlete to earn the award - joining former soccer/track standout Colleen Smith and basketball player Aleah Lowber - as winners of the prestigious honor.
The Caldwell native recently graduated with a degree in Chemistry and had a banner year in the classroom. Otero earned the distinguished Pfizer Society of Toxicology Undergraduate Student Travel Award - allowing her to make a presentation on the examination of the cytotoxicity of e-cigarette liquids and the research of how exposure to the liquids affects cell viability - at the Pfizer National Convention in March.
As part of the Coyote track program, Otero was a three-time CCC champion in the discus, earning All-America honors in the event in 2017. She was a three-time CCC All-Academic Team selection; a two-time NAIA Scholar-Athlete; and a two-time Google Drive Academic All-District 4 selection.
