Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Zaisberger Receives Second Elite 90 Award
March 10, 2022 10:25 AM | Rifle
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Senior Verena Zaisberger of the West Virginia University rifle team has received the NCAA's Elite 90 Award for Division I Rifle, the sport's top academic honor, which was announced on Friday.
A native of Hohenems, Austria, Zaisberger is majoring in music and French, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
"We're really proud of Verena," WVU coach Jon Hammond said. "To win such a prestigious award two years in a row is really impressive and a testimony to her work in the classroom, as well as in her sport."
Zaisberger has now claimed the Elite 90 Award twice in her career, after receiving the honor in 2021. She joins Elizabeth Gratz, who took home the honor in 2017 and 2018, as the second different shooter in program history to receive the Elite 90 Award.
A five-time All-America selection, Zaisberger has been a member of the Academic All-Big 12 At-Large First Team the last two season and also was honored on the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association's (CRCA) All-Academic Team in 2020.
In each of the last two seasons, Zaisberger has represented West Virginia as the Great American Rifle Conference's (GARC) scholar-athlete of the year. Additionally, the senior earned the Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award, the Big 12 Conference's highest academic honor, on Feb. 23.
The Elite 90, 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 90 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA 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.
A native of Hohenems, Austria, Zaisberger is majoring in music and French, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
"We're really proud of Verena," WVU coach Jon Hammond said. "To win such a prestigious award two years in a row is really impressive and a testimony to her work in the classroom, as well as in her sport."
Zaisberger has now claimed the Elite 90 Award twice in her career, after receiving the honor in 2021. She joins Elizabeth Gratz, who took home the honor in 2017 and 2018, as the second different shooter in program history to receive the Elite 90 Award.
A five-time All-America selection, Zaisberger has been a member of the Academic All-Big 12 At-Large First Team the last two season and also was honored on the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association's (CRCA) All-Academic Team in 2020.
In each of the last two seasons, Zaisberger has represented West Virginia as the Great American Rifle Conference's (GARC) scholar-athlete of the year. Additionally, the senior earned the Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award, the Big 12 Conference's highest academic honor, on Feb. 23.
The Elite 90, 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 90 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA 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.
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