With the 2021 PBC fall championship season concluded, it is time to take a look at the five student-athletes who were awarded the PBC Elite 16 Award.
Modeled after the NCAA Elite 90, the Elite 16 Award is given at each of the 16 PBC championships to the student-athlete competing in the championship with the highest over cumulative GPA. Ties are broken by giving the honor to the student-athlete with the most credit hours earned.
Here is a closer look at the five student-athletes who received the award this fall.
Women’s Cross Country: Sophie King, USC Aiken
- A senior from Aiken, S.C.
- Also won the Elite 16 Award in 2020, becoming only the second women’s cross country student-athlete to take the honor in back-to-back seasons
- Also named to the 2021 PBC All-Sportsmanship Team, twice to the PBC Teams of Academic Distinction and a PBC Presidential Honor Roll Gold Scholar
- Ran in four races for the Pacers in 2021
- Majoring in nursing
Men’s Cross Country: Luke Surowiec, Young Harris
- A sophomore from Buford, Ga.
- Is the first Young Harris men’s cross country runner to win the Elite 16 Award
- Carries a 4.0 GPA with a major in spanish
- Named to the PBC Team of Academic Distinction, a PBC Presidential Honor Roll Gold Scholar, a CoSIDA Academic All-District Selection and received the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award
- Ran all seven events for Young Harris this season
Women’s Soccer: Isabel Massa, Clayton State
- A junior forward from Caracas, Venezuela
- Is the first Laker to win the Elite 16 Award for women’s soccer
- Carries a 4.0 cumulative GPA with a major in health & fitness management
- Twice named CoSIDA Academic All-District, she has also been named to the PBC Team of Academic Distinction and is a PBC Presidential Honor Roll Gold Scholar
- Played in 11 games, making 10 starts, with two goals and one assist
Men’s Soccer: Samuel Maardh, Lander
- A junior midfielder from Stockholm, Sweden
- Is the second straight Bearcat to win the Elite 16 Award for men’s soccer
- Named to the PBC Team of Academic Distinction and is a PBC Presidential Honor Roll Gold Scholar
- Played in 11 games in 2021, making six starts with four shots on goal
Volleyball: Kennedy Muff, Flagler
- A sophomore setter from Antioch, Ill.
- Becomes the first Saint to win the Elite 16 Award for volleyball
- The business administration major was also named CoSIDA Academic All-District and has been named to the PBC Team of Academic Distinction and is a PBC Presidential Honor Roll Gold Scholar
- Named the PBC Setter of the Year in 2021 for the second year in a row
- Named an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention, first-team All-Conference, AVCA All-Southeast Region and the PBC Specialist of the Week four times
- Ranked second in the PBC in assists per set and hitting percentage