Outdoor Track & Field

 
May 27, 2010

BC's Rhodes Wins NCAA Elite 88 Award

Pole Vaulter Adds All-American Performance at Championships

BEREA, Ohio - Bridgewater College junior Christina Rhodes received the NCAA Elite 88 Award at Wednesday evening's NCAA Division III Track & Field Championship banquet held at Baldwin-Wallace College.  She followed that up with a sixth place showing in the pole vault competition to earn NCAA All-America recognition.

The Elite 88, 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 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.

The ODAC has now won two of the 25 NCAA Division III Elite 88 distinctions.  Randolph-Macon College senior forward Kevin Voelkel took home the inaugural honor for men’s basketball in March at the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championships in Salem, Va.

Rhodes (Dayton, Va./Turner Ashby H.S.) has won the ODAC pole vault title in each of her three years during both the indoor and outdoor seasons. She is participating at the Division III Outdoor Championship Meet for the second consecutive year, and entered the event ranked 11th in the 20-competitor field.  She bettered her showing by five places, tying for sixth after clearing 3.73 meters (12’2.75”).  The top eight finishers earn NCAA All-America recognition.

In the classroom, Rhodes boasts a 4.0 grade point average as a liberal studies major. She was named the ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Women's Outdoor Track Scholar-Athlete of the Year at the 2010 ODAC Championship Meet.

This release is courtesy of the Bridgewater College sports information department and the ODAC.