Story and graphic courtesy Holy Family University Athletics Communications

PITTSBURGH (March 23, 2026) -- Holy Family University's Skyler Searfoss is the recipient of the Elite Scholar-Athlete award for the 2026 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship.

Searfoss, majoring in Sport-Marketing-Management, currently carries a perfect 4.0 GPA. She was presented the award during a banquet celebrating the Elite Eight participants on Monday evening. 

The Elite Scholar-Athlete award recognizes the true essence of student-athletes by honoring the individuals who have reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in their sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among their peers. The Elite Scholar-Athlete award 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 based on the number of credits completed.

For more information on the Elite Scholar-Athlete award winners, log on to https://www.ncaa.org/elitescholarathlete.

Searfoss is the first Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference student-athlete to earn the honor since Haley Downin of Wilmington University softball in 2023.