ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Anderson cross country and track & field All-American Whitney Bishoff has earned the NCAA's Elite 88 award, as announced on the eve of the 2011 Indoor Track & Field Championships.

The NCAA launched the Elite 88 academic achievement award during the 2009-10 academic year and it 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.

The selected student-athlete must be at least a sophomore in academic and athletics standing, and in at least his or her second year of competition at her current institution.
Bishoff is a junior who carries a 4.0 GPA as an education major and has accumulated numerous athletic and academic awards during her stellar career. The Winder, Ga., native will compete in the track & field national championships beginning on Friday.

She set a new school record in the mile run this season and her cross country accomplishments include Conference Runner of the Year as well as first team all-conference following her first-place finish at the South Atlantic Conference Championships last November.

Bishoff has made two appearances in the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, earning All-America status with a 25th-place finish at the 2009 NCAA National Championships in Evansville, Indiana. She posted a 68th-place finish on the national scene in 2008 and holds the school record in both the 5k (17:59) set at the UNC Charlotte Invitational in 2009 and the 6k (21:36).

She earned SAC Cross Country Runner of the Week accolades twice last season and paced the Trojan cross country squad on 14 consecutive occasions over the past two-plus seasons, posting 11 of the top 15 times in school history in the 5k.

Bishoff earned back-to-back Conference Carolinas Runner of the Year accolades both as a freshman and sophomore and was also named to the 2009 All-Conference and All-

Region Teams after being named Conference Runner of the Week three times during the 2009 season.

She earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District first-team accolades in 2009 and has been named to the Dean's List all five semesters.