Madison Pines Earns Elite 89 Award At NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships

Madison Pines, a senior from Northwood University, is the recipient of the Elite 89 award for the 2014 NCAA Division II Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship.

It is the second straight year that Pines has earned the honor at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Pines graduated last spring in three years with a perfect 4.0 GPA in Accounting.  She is currently attending the DeVos Graduate School of Management at Northwood University.

Pines was presented with the award during the banquet prior to the start of the DII Indoor Championship.

The Elite 89, 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 89 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.

Over the last two years, Pines has turned in a pair of remarkable of seasons.  She was a key defender for the Northwood University women's soccer team, earning Honorable Mention All-GLIAC honors.  In track, Pines is now a five-time NCAA qualifier.  Pines holds a total of four school records at Northwood in Indoor and Outdoor track.

Pines will compete in the mile run at the NCAA Championships Friday (March 13). The preliminaries of the event take place at 3:15 p.m., while the finals will take place Saturday at 4:10.

For more information on the Elite 89 award winners, log on to NCAA.com/elite89