EMPORIA, Kan. – Nick Melanese of the Cal State San Marcos men's track & field team was presented the NCAA Elite 90 Award at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Thursday.
 
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 grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 90 championships.
 
Eligible student-athletes are sophomores or above academically who have participated in a sport for at least two years with their school. The number of completed credits was the tiebreaker
 
Melanese earns the honor with a flawless 4.0 GPA as a Business major. Athletically, the Scripps Ranch native qualified for the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year and is competing in the 1500-meter run.
 
Melanese is the first NCAA Elite 90 Award winner in school history and is the first CCAA student-athlete to earn it in a conference-sponsored sport since UC San Diego's Clint Rosser won it for men's track in 2013.