Michelle Kerr with Coach Mark NorthuisMichelle Kerr with Coach Mark Northuis

Hope College’s Michelle Kerr is the recipient of the Elite 90 award for the 2015 NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country Championship.

The senior from Dearborn, Michigan (Divine Child HS) was presented with the award during the championship banquet on Friday, Nov. 20 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Kerr is a nursing major who carries a 4.0 grade point average.

It is the second time in three years Kerr has earned the top scholar-athlete award at a NCAA Championship event. She earned the NCAA Elite 89 award as a sophomore in 2013.

The Elite 90, 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 90 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.

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.

Hope coach Mark Northuis said Kerr is the epitome of a scholar student-athlete.

“She’s running at nationals at the top of her game, and a 4.0 student on top of that. I don’t think you get much better,” Northuis said. “She’s a captain. She’s shown dedication and what it means to be a scholar athlete as well as a liberal arts education. We’re very proud of her.”

Kerr joins two other NCAA Championship scholar-athlete winners from Hope: Jayne Kessel in volleyball (2013 and 2014) and Chelsea Wiese in swimming & diving (2012).

For more information on the Elite 90 award winners, log on to NCAA.com/elite-90.