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Gilbert ends U.S. college career on high note

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A Delhi native has ended her university athletic career on a high note.

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Courtney Gilbert helped win the Horizon League Championship with her University of Detroit Mercy softball team.

Gilbert hit .417, got a home run, and collected five RBIs during the tournament earlier this month.

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“I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my NCAA division 1 career. After a long four years of very hard work, coming out on top has never felt so good,” said Gilbert. “Softball has played such an amazing role in shaping me into who I am today, and truly changing my life. This is a game that I will always give back to, as I look forward to coaching, and working with young athletes to help shape their careers.”

The UDM team was predicted to finish seventh overall in the tournament, but rallied together to place first and take home the trophy.

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The team had to beat the University of Illinois at Chicago twice in the finals, after losing to them 8-0 in the semi-finals.

“We’re a team that definitely builds on energy,” said Gilbert. “We were hungry for that win. We wanted to give everything on every single pitch in every single inning. At the end of the day whoever wanted it more was going to win, and I think we wanted it a little more.”

Gilbert was named to both the All Conference Team, and the All Tournament Team. She was selected for these teams based on her conference and tournament statistics.

For the 2019 season Gilbert’s batting average was .309, appearing in 58 games, with 175 at bats. She had eight home runs and 32 RBIs.

The regional championship started on May 17 and Gilbert scored the only run for UDM. She was hit by a pitch, stole second, and then ran home on a single. This made Gilbert UDM’s first ever run in an NCAA regional game.

UDM then fell 1-0 in their next game against Southern Illinois, putting an end to UDM’s 2019 season.

Gilbert says she always thinks about how thankful she is for her support systems she built in Norfolk.

“I aspire to be a role model for the youth in sport, just as my role models were for me. I can’t thank Norfolk County enough for all of the support. This community is truly second to none.”

Gilbert will soon be returning home to Canada to work towards her Masters of Applied Disability Studies at Brock University. At UDM she studied developmental psychology with a minor in leadership.

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