Steven Coniglio, a sophomore at Baruch College, is the recipient of the Elite 89 top academic award for the 2012 NCAA Division III Men’s Volleyball Championship.

Coniglio, majoring in actuarial science, currently carries a 3.897 GPA. Coniglio was presented with the award during the men’s volleyball championship banquet on Thursday evening in Springfield, Massachusetts.

“It is such a great honor to win this award and I was totally surprised when they announced my name,” said Coniglio. “It means a lot because as student-athletes we have so much work with classes, matches, practice, and travel, so to win is really special.”  

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. There are 89 national championships in the NCAA and Coniglio is the winner for Div. III Men's Volleyball.

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 and a designated member of the squad size at the championship. All ties are broken by the number of credits completed.

Coniglio was nominated by the Sports Information Department and Head Coach Allison Stack.

For more information on the Elite 89 award winners, including all the Div. I, II and III winners as of March 2012, please log on to www.ncaa.com/elite89.

Story courtesy of NCAA Sports Information Department.