BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) recognized some of its best and brightest fall sport student-athletes on Wednesday with the announcement of the Elite 22 Awards. Two Gustavus student-athletes received the award as Erin Ericson (Sr., Onalaska, Wis.) is the women’s golf recipient and Evelyn Villalobos (So., Crystal) is the women’s cross country recipient.
The MIAC Elite 22 Award recognizes the true essence of the term “student-athlete” by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the conference championship level in their sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among their peers. Modeled after the NCAA Elite 90 Award, the MIAC Elite 22 Award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest grade-point average (GPA) in each sport who meets similarly high, sport-specific athletic requirements.
For cross country, the honor is bestowed upon the individual with the highest GPA among the top-15 individual finishers at the conference championship meet, while the accolade in golf is presented to the individual with the highest GPA among the top-10 individual finishers at the MIAC Championships. Each winner must be a sophomore, junior, or senior and in at least their second full academic year at their current institution. Ties are broken by the number of credits earned.
Ericson was the individual runner-up at the 2021 MIAC Women’s Golf Championships, shooting 188 over the 2.5 rounds in October. She is an accounting major with a 3.875 GPA.
Villalobos earned All-MIAC honors at her first conference meet this fall, crossing the finish line 15th at the 2021 MIAC Women’s Cross Country Championships in 23:28.1. She has a 4.0 GPA and is an undeclared major.