ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced the winners of a new prestigious conference award Friday. St. Olaf's Grant Wintheiser and Saint Mary's Katherine Stolz were honored for their combined athletic and academic achievement with the MIAC Elite 22 Award in men's and women's cross country, respectively.

The MIAC Elite 22 Award recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the conference championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. Modeled after the NCAA Elite 89 Award, the MIAC Elite 22 Award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest grade point average (GPA) in each sport who meet similarly high, sport-specific athletic requirements. 

The MIAC Elite 22 Award in men's and women's cross country is presented to the individual with the highest GPA that is a sophomore, junior or senior and in at least his or her second season of competition with their current team and recognized as a member of the All-Conference Team at the MIAC Cross Country Championships, which includes the top 15 individual finishers.

Wintheiser adds his MIAC Elite 22 Award to an already-full trophy case thanks to his performance at Saturday's MIAC Men's Cross Country Championship at Como Park Golf Course in St. Paul, Minn. The Ole star won the men's 8k race for the second-straight season and led his team to back-to-back MIAC championships as well. Wintheiser's time Saturday was 24:48.9, as he edged teammate Jake Brown by 5.5 seconds for his repeat victory. Wintheiser received All-Conference honors, and Thursday he was named the MIAC Men's Cross Country Athlete-of-the-Year for the second season in a row.

The St. Olaf star has also been a success story in the classroom. Wintheiser is a junior Biology major, and he has a near-perfect 3.967 GPA. Wintheiser was also named to the MIAC Academic All-Conference team as a sophomore in cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field. Wintheiser is a Sartell, Minn., native and a graduate of Cathedral High School.

Stolz had a tremendous performance at Saturday's MIAC Women's Cross Country Championship, which combined with her academic prowess to result in her Elite 22 Award selection. The Cardinals' leading runner completed the 6k course in 23:23.9 to finish in 11th place individually behind only runners from St. Olaf, Carleton, Macalester, Saint Benedict and St. Thomas. Thanks to her top-15 finish, Stolz received MIAC All-Conference honors.

As good as the Saint Mary's junior is on the trails, she's been perfect in the classroom thus far, as the Biology major has a 4.0 GPA. Stolz was also named to the MIAC Academic All-Conference team as a sophomore in cross country and outdoor track and field. She is a Forest Lake, Minn., native and a graduate of Hill-Murray High School.

A plaque will be provided to Wintheiser and Stolz to commemorate their MIAC Elite 22 Award, and they are recognized on the MIAC Elite 22 Award web site, which will archive each of the 22 winners throughout the 2013-14 season.

The MIAC Elite 22 Award was modeled after the NCAA Elite 89 Award, which honors the student-athlete with the highest GPA at the championship site for each of the NCAA's 89 sponsored-sports across Divisions I, II and III. The award emerged from the MIAC's strategic plan, and was unanimously approved by the conference's governance structure in May.

| MIAC Elite 22 Award | 2013-14 MIAC Elite 22 Award Archive |