GULF SHORES, Ala. – Adriana Nieves Papaleo, a sophomore for Sun Devil Beach Volleyball, is the recipient of the Elite 90 award for the 2024 NCAA Division I Beach Volleyball Championship, as announced at the championship banquet on Thursday evening.
Nieves Papaleo, majoring in industrial engineering, currently carries a 4.0 GPA. This is the first Elite 90 winner for the program and the third Elite 90 winner for Sun Devil Athletics this season. Lindsay Looney and Tiago Behar from swim and dive won as well. Arizona State has the most Elite 90 winners this academic year among Division I teams with three.
Past ASU Elite 90 Winners
2009-10 – Andy Workman (Baseball), Finance, 3.903
2012-13 – Bailey Wigness (Softball), Communication & Political Science, 4.00
2013-14 – Ianeta Hutchinson (Water Polo), Psychology, 4.00
2017-18 – Roberta Liti (Women’s Golf), Management/Business (Sports & Media Studies), 4.00
2023-24 – Lindsay Looney (Women’s Swim and Dive), Family and Human Development, MS, 4.00
2023-24 – Tiago Behar (Men’s Swim and Dive), Computer Science, 4.00
2023-24 – Adriana Nieves Papaleo (Beach Volleyball), Industrial Engineering, 4.00
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. 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 championships. Eligible student-athletes are sophomores or above academically who have participated in a sport for at least two years with their school. All ties are broken by the number of credits completed.
Nieves Papaleo has been a key player this season, starting most of the year at the No. 5 spot. The Puerto Rico native has a 15-5 record and has eight wins over pairs from ranked opponents this season. She and freshman Ava Haughy will be starting at the fives for the NCAA Championships this weekend.
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