FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) has announced the first-ever recipients of its Academic Elite Award, a new honor created to recognize exceptional academic achievement among student-athletes across the conference.
Established by the MIAA Faculty Athletic Representatives, the Academic Elite Award will be presented annually to the male and female student-athlete in each sport with the highest cumulative grade-point average. Honorees must have at least two years of varsity participation and hold junior or senior academic standing. In the case of identical GPAs, multiple student-athletes may be honored in the same sport.
Student-athletes who lead their sport in cumulative GPA are recognized in each sport they compete in, meaning individuals with top academic marks in multiple sports—such as cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field—are honored multiple times.
A total of 88 awards will be given out to the inaugural class of Academic Elite honorees. Of those, 86 awards recognize a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA—a remarkable testament to the academic excellence upheld across the MIAA.
Trine University led all MIAA institutions in claiming 25 Academic Elite accolades, represented by 18 individual student-athletes—including three who earned multiple awards for leading their sport in GPA across more than one sport.
Women’s track and field led all sports with ten Academic Elite recipients in both indoor and outdoor, each achieving a 4.0 GPA.
Among the 88 total honorees, 59 are seniors, 24 are juniors, and five are graduate students, showcasing the academic dedication sustained throughout their collegiate careers.
This initiative marks another step in the MIAA’s commitment to celebrating the full student-athlete experience, placing a spotlight on individuals who lead in the classroom as well as in athletic competition.
“We are proud to celebrate these student-athletes for their hard work and dedication to what makes the MIAA and Division III special,” said MIAA Commissioner Jason Horn.
The Academic Elite Award underscores the MIAA’s continued dedication to upholding the highest standards of academic achievement within its athletic programs.