NORTHFIELD, Vt. — For the first time since the award was introduced during the 2009-10 academic year, an Elmira College student-athlete was crowned the winner of the NCAA’s Elite 90 Award, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s 90 championships.
Ari Smith ’18, a senior from Eagle, Wisconsin, was named this year’s recipient of the prestigious academic accolade on the eve of the 2018 NCAA Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Championship. The fourth-year forward – a Biology major with a minor in Mathematics – boasts a cumulative GPA of 3.969. She’s two-time ECAC West All-Academic Team and seven-time Empire 8 Conference President’s List selection, and will likely add to her résumé with additional awards from the E8 and the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) this spring. Smith has also been inducted into the EC chapters of the Gamma Sigma Epsilon Pi Mu Epsilon National Honor Societies.
“What an incredible recognition of Ari’s outstanding academic achievement in a rigorous major combined with the demands of her sport,” said Vice President of Athletics Pat Thompson. “She is the epitome of a true student-athlete.”
On the ice, Smith is amidst the finest season of her collegiate career. She’s skated in all 28 games in 2017-18 and has recorded career highs across the board with 11 points on five goals and six assists. All 11 points came against UCHC opponents, which helped the Purple and Gold finish unbeaten in league play at 15-0-1 in the regular season. As a result, Elmira hosted, and subsequently won, the inaugural UCHC Tournament in the first week of March.
“It just goes to show you that Ari puts in a ton of work in the classroom,” said head coach Tim Crowley. “She’s someone who’s going to be successful in what she does, no matter what it is, because of her worth ethic. She’s an incredibly intelligent person, a great teammate, a great person and player as well. As a senior, and someone who is finishing out her career this weekend, it’s a tremendous accomplishment to get that award this year. She’s going to go on to do great things and we are excited to have her for a couple of more games this weekend.”
As stated by the NCAA, the “Elite 90 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.” To be eligible for the Elite 90 Award, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically, in their second year at their current institution, an active member on the roster and eligible for the championship.
Smith and the No. 3/3-ranked Soaring Eagles are set to face their rivals from No. 2/1 Plattsburgh State in the first semifinal on Friday, March 16. The opening puck drop will hit the ice at 3:30 p.m. inside Norwich University’s Kreitzberg Arena in Northfield, Vermont.
