MADISON, Wis.  – Cowboy cross country runner Christopher Henry received the NCAA Elite 90 Award following the NCAA Cross Country National Championships. Henry is the first Cowboy in any sport to earn the award. 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.
 
"When I got the award, I was super surprised," Henry said. "I thought other students from the Ivy League, Stanford and such would have a better shot at getting the academic award, so I was ecstatic, and it added on to the day. I was already super happy the team got 12^th, and when I heard my name getting called for the Elite 90 award, I was just super happy."
 
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. It is a tremendous opportunity to honor the academic accomplishments of the top student-athletes during our championships.
 
"It means a lot that hey recognize academics as well as athletics because it takes a lot of work for all of us student-athletes to maintain our grades while we're running and training every day," Henry said. "It means a lot that they recognize our accomplishments on and off the course."
 
"I'm super proud of Chris," said men's cross country coach Scott Dahlberg. "He works very hard at everything he does. This is a very prestigious award that we're all happy for him and know he's well-deserving of."
 
Henry is a molecular biology and physiology double major, and he carries a 4.0 cumulative GPA during his time at the University of Wyoming. This is the latest of many academic awards for Henry, as he was named to the Google Cloud Academic All-America Men's Track & Field/Cross Country last season, as well as being named academic all-district by CoSIDA. He has also earned academic all-Mountain West honors three times and is a three-time MW Scholar-Athlete.
 
Henry learned of his award after competing in the NCAA Cross Country National Championships, where he placed 62rd in the 10-kilometer race with a time of 30:30.11, as the Cowboys placed 12^th overall as a team. Henry was one of seven Cowboys that ran for Wyoming in UW's first appearance as a team at the championship meet since 1986.