The NCAA handed out its Elite 90 awards at the 2017 Division III Swimming and Diving Championships in Shenandoah, Texas, honoring Worcester Polytechnic Institute senior Tim Petri and Messiah College junior Kaitlin Wingert.
Tim Petri, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Tim Petri of @WPIAthletics was awarded this year's men's swimming and diving #Elite90 award with a 4.0 GPA in computer science! Well done! pic.twitter.com/iFqirwF0Rj
— NCAA Division III (@NCAADIII) March 15, 2017
Petri, a native of Eksjö, Sweden, is WPI’s first-ever student-athlete to win the Elite 90 award. A computer science major with a cumulative 4.0 average over his four years, he was invited to the NCAA Championships as part of WPI’s 14th-seeded 400-yard medley relay. He was also eligible to compete individually in the 100 breast and 200 breast. Petri swam in prelims on the relay, helping the Goats reach the B final. In the 100 breast he dropped .25 in prelims and finished 20th, setting a new school record in the process. In the 200, he improved by 2.15 in prelims to qualify 10th for finals, then dropped another .08 in the consolation final, lowering his own school record and earning All-America honors with his 10th-place finish.
Kaitlin Wingert, Messiah College
Congrats to Kaitlin Wingert of @MessiahSports, the #Elite90 winner for women's swimming and diving with a 4.0 GPA in English! pic.twitter.com/Eo46xYPgko
— NCAA Division III (@NCAADIII) March 15, 2017
Wingert, an English major from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, became the first-ever Falcon, male or female, to qualify for NCAAs. She was invited to swim the 100 free and qualified for the 50 free and 100 fly as well. On Day One, Wingert dropped .79 in the 50 free to break the school record and finish 43rd overall. The following day she dropped 3.32 seconds in the fly, turning in the 34th performance at the meet and tying the school record. On the last day of competition Wingert swam her signature event; though off her best time, she nonetheless placed 32nd overall in the 100 free.
Elite 90
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 | Kellen Beckwith, Jr., Olivet College | Tessa Dover, Jr., Claremont-Mudd-Scripps |
| 2010-11 | Kellen Beckwith, Sr., Olivet College | Tessa Dover, Sr., Claremont-Mudd Scripps |
| 2011-12 | Joseph Huyett, So., Stevens Institute of Technology | Chelsea Wiese, Sr., Hope College |
| 2012-13 | Eric Hallman, Jr., University of Chicago | Alex Ladd, Jr., Johns Hopkins |
| 2013-14 | Jacob Tamposi, So., Williams | Haley Townsend, So., Kenyon |
| 2014-15 | Brett Stoughton, So., Calvin | Margaret Guo, Jr., MIT |
| 2015-16 | Brad Brooks, Sr., McDaniel | Rachel Treadway, Sr., Wisconsin-Eau Claire |
| 2016-17 | Tim Petri, Sr., Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Kaitlin Wingert, Jr., Messiah College |
Kaitlin Wingert of @MessiahSports and Tim Petri of @WPIAthletics are the 2017 @NCAADIII Elite 90 Winners! pic.twitter.com/IHmmueXudI
— 2017 D3 Swim & Dive (@scacswimming) March 15, 2017