West Chester's Nancy Stehman is presented with the NCAA Elite 89 Award.
West Chester's Nancy Stehman Wins Elite 89 Award From NCAA
West Chester Sports Information contributed to this story
Bloomsburg, Pa. - West Chester University sophomore Nancy Stehman was named the recipient of the NCAA Elite 89 award at the 2011 NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championship banquet on the campus of Bloomsburg University it was announced by the NCAA Thursday evening.
Stehman, majoring in Middle Grades and Special Education, currently carries a perfect 4.00 grade-point average and was presented with the award during the championship banquet. She is the first West Chester University student-athlete to win this prestigious academic award since the program's inception in the 2009-10 season.
The Elite 89, 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 89 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s championships.
The award was named the Elite 88 for the first two years of its existence for the NCAA's 88 championships across all three divisions, but with the addition of another NCAA championship for the 2011-12 academic year (Division III men's volleyball), the award has been renamed the Elite 89 starting this year.
In the three-year history of the Elite 88/89 award, a PSAC student-athlete has now claimed the award at the Division II field hockey championship in all three years. Prior to Stehman garnering the award this season, former Shippensburg student-athlete Kristen Brooks was a two-time recipient of the award the last two seasons. Brooks was also the inaugural winner of the Elite 88 award in 2009 as the Division II field hockey championship was the first NCAA championship to be contested in the inaugural year of the award.
Eligible student-athletes are sophomores or above who have participated in their sport for at least two years with their school. They must be an active member of the team, traveling and a designated member of the squad size at the championship. All ties are broken by the number of credits completed.
The PSAC recently established its own academic recognition award the is based off the NCAA Elite 89 award. More information on the PSAC Champion Scholar Awards is available here.
For more information on the Elite 88/89 award winners, log on to www.NCAA.com/elite89.