*RELEASE COURTESY OF SLIPPERY ROCK ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Slippery Rock University distance runner Jennifer Cichra was named the 2024 NCAA Division II Women's Cross Country Elite 90 Award winner Saturday at the National Championships at the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento, California.
 
The NCAA Elite 90 Award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average at each of the organization's 90 National Championship finals sites.
 
Cichra becomes the first female student-athlete from any sport in Slippery Rock history to win an Elite 90 Award and the second Rock athlete ever to be honored after men's cross country runner Ethan Brentham won the award last fall.
 
The junior from Renfrew, Pennsylvania owns a perfect 4.0 GPA with 116 total credit hours while majoring in mechanical engineering.
 
"I am so proud of Jen not just for the way she has performed on the course this year, but for the way she dedicates herself to her studies and the way she exemplifies the true meaning of the student-athlete," said distance coach Bobby Over. "She's become such a vital part of our success this year and to see her be recognized today was special for all of us"
 
In addition to her excellence in the classroom, Cichra also earned first team All-PSAC and All-Region honors this fall while helping The Rock to the 2024 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title and a second straight team trip to the National Championships.
 
She placed 195^th Saturday at the national meet, helping SRU to a 27^th place finish in the team standings. The Rock were the highest finishing team from the Atlantic Region.