Elite 88 Winners

DULUTH, Minn. – Senior St. Scholastica cross country student-athlete #Katelyn Meger# (Sr.-Webster, Minn./New Prague) received the new Elite 88 Award on Friday night, becoming the first Division III Women's Cross Country athlete to receive the honor.

The Elite 88, an award founded by the NCAA, recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The Elite 88 honors the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site of each of the NCAA's 88 national championships. This is the first year of the award.

Recipients must satisfy rigorous criteria. Eligible student-athletes include those classified as sophomores or above and who have been participating in their sport for at least two years with their current institution. In addition, a candidate must be an active member of the team and a member of the squad traveling and competing at the championships site.

Meger, who is a Nursing major, has a 4.0 cumulative grade-point-average and became the first CSS athlete in any sport to compete at two NCAA Championship final events. She beat out 279 other athletes eligible for the award, including eight other 4.0 student-athletes.