Patton and Swift selected as Elite 88 Award winners for Division II Indoor Track & Field

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Colorado School of Mines track athletes Marie Patton and Aaron Swift were selected as the Elite 88 Award winners for Division II indoor track & field as announced on Thursday, March 11th in Albuquerque, NM at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National Championships.

Patton, a sophomore from Littleton, Colo. (Heritage H.S.), an Engineering Physics major has a 4.0 cumulative grade point average. Patton was selected as the RMAC Women’s Cross Country Academic Runner of the Year and earned First Team Academic All-RMAC accolades. Patton was the 3,000 m champion at the 2010 RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, part of the 4X400 relay that broke the school record and member of the distance medley relay that earned Second Team All-RMAC honors. Patton earned All-American honors as part of the distance medley relay (8th) and in the 5,000 m (7th) at the Indoor National Championships.

Swift, a junior from Colorado Springs, Colo. (Pine Creek H.S.), a Mechanical Engineering has a 3.828 cumulative grade point average. Swift earned First Team Academic All-RMAC honors during the 2009 cross country season. An All-American at the 2009 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, Swift placed 18th as the top finisher for the Oredigger men who earned a third-place finish at the Championships. At the 2010 RMAC Indoor Championships, Swift earned Second Team All-RMAC honors with a fourth-place finish in the 5,000 m. Swift competed in the 5,000 m at the Indoor National Championships and finished 10th with a time of 15:01.75.

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 (at the Division I, II and III level).

All GPA’s are based on a straight grading scale to ensure consistency among institutions. All ties are broken by the number of credits completed.

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 competing at the National Championships.