Recent OBU grad wins NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete award

By BRIAN RAMSEY | OBU Sports Network

Elise Knight, a recent graduate from Ouachita Baptist University, is the recipient of the Elite Scholar-Athlete award for the 2026 NCAA Division II Women’s Track & Field Championship.

Knight recently completed her undergraduate studies at Ouachita and earned a bachelor’s degree in biophysics and professional chemistry with a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade-point average.

The NCAA award is the latest in a long list of honors and accomplishments for Knight during her career. She was presented with the award on Thursday evening on day one of the NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships in Emporia, Kansas. She becomes the third student-athlete from Ouachita to earn the prestigious honor, joining swimmers Elijah Christenson (2024) and Kristian Krc (2012).

Knight, who is one of four Ouachita athletes competing at nationals this week, was recently named Ouachita’s Most Outstanding Female Scholar-Athlete for 2025-26. The Jonesboro, Arkansas native has earned all-conference honors in both cross country and track and is an all-region performer this year in the steeplechase. She has also developed one of the strongest academic portfolios in the nation with an unblemished GPA in a challenging academic arena to go along with two first-author publications including an honor’s thesis. 

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.