SHU's Wilks, WVWC's Hornak Receive NCAA Elite 88 Awards
5/27/2010 2:48:18 PM
Seton Hill's Josh Wilks is the first winner of the NCAA Division II Men's Outdoor Track & Field Elite 88 award.
(CHARLOTTE, NC)---Seton Hill junior Josh Wilks is the winner of the NCAA Division II Outdoor Men's Track & Field Elite 88 Award for academic achievement. Wilks, a Geneva, Ohio native, owns a 3.9 grade point average as a mathematics major.
The Elite 88, an award founded by the NCAA in 2009, 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 88 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 88 championships.
Wilks is seeded 15th in the 800 meter run with a time of 1:51.78 and will begin competition on Friday evening at 6:55 p.m. when he runs in preliminary heat #3. If he advances, Saturday's 800 meter final is set for a 7:46 p.m. start.
He earned All-American status during the indoor season with a fifth-place finish in the 800 meter Division II championship.
Wilks joins West Virginia Wesleyan men's tennis player Doug Hornak as the WVIAC's second Elite 88 winner of the spring. Hornak, a junior psychology major from Morgantown, WV, owns a 4.0 grade point average. He helped the Bobcats reach the NCAA Division II Tournament round of 16 as they finished with an overall record of 22-3.