Barrefors Earns NCAA Elite 88 Award

Fayetteville, Ark. ? Nebraska sophomore Bjorn Barrefors was honored last night by the NCAA as an Elite 88 Award winner at the NCAA Track and Field Indoor Championships Banquet. He earned the award for being the male athlete competing at the indoor championships with the highest GPA.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

A combined eventer from Stockholm, Sweden, Barrefors has excelled on the track and in the classroom since he arrived in Lincoln last January. A two-time All-American and three-time All-Big 12 performer, Barrefors also carries a 4.0 GPA as a computer science major.

 

The Big 12 Conference made a clean sweep of the award at the banquet, as Baylor triple jumper Jessica Ubanyionwu was honored on the women’s side.

 

The Elite 88 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 88 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s 88 championships.

 

All GPA’s are based on a straight grading scale to ensure consistency among institutions. All ties are broken by the number of credits completed.

 

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 competing at the championship.