Anderson’s Nick Trull Receives NCAA Elite 88 Award

ANDERSON, S.C. - Nick Trull, a junior at Anderson University, is the recipient of the Elite 88 award for the 2011 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship.

Trull, majoring in kinesiology, currently carries a 3.945 GPA. He was presented with the award during the men's basketball banquet on Monday evening.

A native of Charlotte, N.C., Trull was also recently named the South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete and averages 10.4 points per game, while ranking second on the team with 59 three-pointers and made better than 87 percent of his free throws.

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.

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 a designated member of the squad size at the championship. All ties are broken by the number of credits completed.

Trull is the second Anderson University student-athlete to earn the honor, as fellow junior Whitney Bishoff was named the Elite 88 award-winner for women's track earlier this month. He is the third South Atlantic Conference student-athlete to receive this honor. Wingate University volleyball player Grace Krauser also received the Elite 88 award at the volleyball championship.