SEATTLE, Wash. – Sophomore midfielder
Adriana Palumbo (West Deptford, N.J./West Deptford) was named the Elite 90 Award winner in field hockey by the NCAA for having the highest cumulative grade-point average among those individuals competing at the finals site it was announced at the opening ceremonies of the 2022 NCAA D2 Fall Festival at the Museum of Pop Culture Tuesday evening.
Palumbo, majoring in Public Health, carries a perfect 4.00 GPA in college so far. She is the second field hockey player from West Chester to win the award and the first Golden Ram since 2012-13 campaign to come home with some hardware.
"There were so many people deserving of this award," an ecstatic Palumbo said afterwards. "When they said 'Public Health major', I was like, 'Oh My God! Nobody else majors in public health. My heart was beating out of my chest. It's really great. I'm so happy. My parents are going to be so proud."
Only two other Golden Rams have been honored by the NCAA with the prestigious Elite 90 Award. Former field hockey star Nancy Stehman won the award in back-to-back campaigns (2011, 2012) while former women's lacrosse player Liz Wilson brought home the award in 2012.
Palumbo and the rest of the Golden Rams set their sights on the national semifinals and No. 2 Shippensburg on Thursday at 8 p.m. EST. in Renton, Wash.
