The NCAA handed out its Elite 90 awards at the opening ceremonies of the 2017 Division II Festival in Birmingham, Alabama, honoring University of California, San Diego senior Michael Cohn and Delta State University senior Melanie Tombers.
It was the second consecutive Elite 90 award for Cohn, a San Diego native who competed in the 200 free, 500 free, 100 back (14th), and 200 back (5th) at 2017 NCAAs, and was a member of the Tritons’ 200 medley relay (16th), 400 medley relay (11th), and 800 free relay. Cohn is a music major and has a cumulative 3.971 grade-point average.
Tombers is a senior from Dusseldorf, Germany with a 4.0 grade-point average in business administration. She represented Delta State at 2017 NCAAs in the 1000 free (10th), 400 IM (3rd), 200 fly (15th), 200 breast, and 800 free relay (6th).
Your @NCAADII Elite 90 award winner is Melanie Tombers!!!!!! #DSUFamily pic.twitter.com/neS6JlfLaq
— Statesmen Swim and Dive (@DeltaStateSWD) March 8, 2017
The NCAA established the Elite 90 award to recognize the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA participating at the final championship site for each of the NCAA’s 90 championship events. (When it was first created during the 2009-10 academic year, the award was called Elite 88; since then the NCAA has added Division III Men’s Volleyball and National Collegiate Women’s Beach Volleyball, so it is now known as Elite 90.) Only sophomores, juniors, and seniors are eligible for the award.
| School Year | Men’s S&D Recipient | Women’s S&D Recipient |
| 2009-10 | Matthew Laschuk, So., Wayne State (MI) | Angel Forsling, Sr., Colorado Mines |
| 2010-11 | Matthew Laschuk, Jr., Wayne State (MI) | Tanya Sylvester, Sr., Truman |
| 2011-12 | Kristian Krc, Sr., Ouachita Baptist | Anna McIntyre, Sr., Florida Southern |
| 2012-13 | Ivan Nechunaev, Jr., Grand Canyon Robbie Swan, Jr., Florida Southern |
Molly Brown, Sr., Drury |
| 2013-14 | Luke Calkins, Sr., UC San Diego | Kristin Diemer, Jr., Queens University (NC) |
| 2014-15 | Soren Holm, So., Wayne State (MI) | Kristin Day, Sr., Clarion |
| 2015-16 | Michael Cohn, Jr., UC San Diego | Nancy Claire Smith, Jr., Carson-Newman |
| 2016-17 | Michael Cohn, Sr., UC San Diego | Melanie Tombers, Sr., Delta State |
2017 NCAA Division II National Championships Festival Elite 90 Award Presentation