Kris Lindner

Classroom

At the U.S. Military Academy, the classroom is made up of three pillars to achieve leadership excellence: academic, physical and military. Kris Lindner excels across all pillars at the Academy and is recognized by not only his teammates, but the academy’s leadership, for his accomplishments. Academically, Lindner boasts a 3.389 grade-point average with a 3.644 term GPA, and ranks in the top half of his class. For this feat, he dons the golden “wreath” on his military uniform as the Superintendent’s Award for Achievement to distinguish his top-15 percent ranking across all three pillars. He has also received the Master of the Sword’s Award, which is given to cadets who received over a 3.667 Physical GPA. To go along with those honors, Lindner was named to the baseball Academic All-Patriot League Team following the 2016 season.

Militarily, he has had experience in many leadership development courses, including serving as a Battalion Physical Development Officer, a Cadet Candidate Basic Training Squad Leader, a Squad Leader and a Team Leader. He has also been involved in Cadet Field and Basic Training. Along with his military and athletic duties, Lindner is currently working with the Program Executive Officer of Special Operations Forces Warrior in Tampa, Fla., to assist the office in developing and optimizing a decision analysis tool that helps them meet the needs of Navy SEALs, Army Rangers and Green Berets, and other elite military units.

Character

From Head Coach Jim Foster: “Kris is someone who stood out as a leader to me from the moment I arrived here in July. I named him my first team captain two months later. He is someone who is very committed to being the best he can be in all facets of cadet life. On the field he excels as a four-year starter and all-conference player in the Patriot League. He has always been a standout in the classroom, maintaining a 3.4 GPA as a Systems Engineering major. To cap off his West Point career, Kris will graduate and serve in the highly-coveted Aviation Branch with hopes to eventually be selected as a Blackhawk pilot.

“Kris leads by example every day, and the consistency in how he leads is very impressive for someone his age. In addition, he is one of the most contentious people I have ever met and is always trying to make it better for others. I think Kris has a very bright future and is an outstanding candidate for the Senior CLASS Award.”

Community

Cadets partake in many events that involve the community and exemplify selfless service. Each year, the Army baseball team works with the local foodbank, reorganizing and restocking shelves. Lindner and the team also work with the local schools, offering them guidance and mentorship when it comes to academics and baseball. In the West Point community, Lindner and the team are part of the Adopt a Highway program in Highland Falls where they clean up trash along the roadside each year. As a youth, Lindner was highly involved as an Eagle Scout and to this day still makes it a point to continue that relationship with his hometown organization.

Competition

During 2016, Lindner was a unanimous All-Patriot League First Team selection. He was Army’s starting shortstop for 46 of the team’s 48 games, missing two games due to injury. Lindner led the Black Knights offensively with a .315 batting average (52-for-165), as well as posting a team high in slugging percentage (.394), on-base percentage (.430), hits (52), doubles (8), walks (21), hit by pitches (13), stolen bases (14-for-16) and multi-hit games (17). In seven games so far this season for Army, Lindner is second on the team with a batting average of .304. He has shifted over to second base where he has started in all seven games for the Black Knights. He has compiled seven hits, three runs, four RBI, and a team-leading four doubles. Lindner currently boasts a .478 slugging and .407 on-base percentage as one of Army’s key players. This team captain has recorded 16 putouts and 13 assists and holds a 1.000 field percentage.