Three Student-Athletes Earn Elite 89 Awards in 2012-13
NCAA Elite 89 Award Website
All-Time Elite 89 Award Recipients from the PSAC
Three student-athletes from PSAC institutions,
Nancy Stehman of West Chester,
Gina Buquet of Merychurst, and
Trevor Vargo of Mercyhurst, were honored as recipients of the NCAA Elite 89 Award during the 2012-13 academic year.
With three 2012-13 Elite 89 Award winners, the PSAC total increases to 14 winners during the first four years of the award, including 11 at Division II championships.
Stehman, a repeat Elite 89 winner from a year ago, is the fourth-consecutive field hockey student-athlete from the PSAC to win the Elite 89 Award at the Division II Field Hockey Championship. Stehman led her team to its second-straight national championship title with a 5-0 win over UMass-Lowell. In November, Stehman held a 3.97 grade point average at the championship while majoring in middle grades and special education.
West Chester Full Story
Buquet, a member of the Mercyhurst women’s ice hockey team, held a 3.94 grade point average heading into the NCAA Division I Women’s Hockey Championship in March. Buquet, and exercise science major, notched six goals and 11 assists during her senior season.
Mercyhurst Full Story
Vargo was named the NCAA Elite 89 Award recipient of the 2013 Division II Men’s Lacrosse Championship for boasting the highest grade point average (3.954) at the championship site. Vargo is studying biology at Mercyhurst and finished the season with eight goals and six assists.
Mercyhurst Full Story
The NCAA Elite 89 award was founded by the NCAA to recognize 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. It is presented to one student-athlete, who must be at least a sophomore in both academic and athletic standing, with the highest grade point average at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s 89 championships across all three divisions - I, II and III. Named the Elite 88 Award in its first two years of existence, it was renamed the Elite 89 for the 2011-12 academic year after the addition of one more NCAA championship.