There are so many "firsts" in the great career of Lauren O'Malley.

First JCU women's tennis All-American. First ITA regional champion. First ITA Cup finalist. First NCAA national quarterfinalist.

Apparently, there was one more first to conquer.

O'Malley becomes the first John Carroll student-athlete in any sport to receive the NCAA ELITE 90 Award.

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 90 championships.

Eligible student-athletes are sophomores or above who have participated in their sport for at least two years with their school. They must be an active member of the team, traveling and a designated member of the squad size at the championship. All ties are broken by the number of credits completed.

An Early Childhood Education major who carries a 4.00 grade point average, O'Malley is four-year letterwinner for the John Carroll women's tennis team. She has earned OAC Player of the Year four times, All-OAC first team accolades four times and OAC Player of the Week ten times. She qualified for four NCAA Division III Championship tournaments and has earned ITA Division III All-American honors three times. 

O'Malley has earned Dean's List status eight times, was the Presidential Scholarship Award recipient, and earned CoSIDA Academic All-American honors in 2018. She graduated earlier this month from John Carroll with summa cum laude (3.90+ GPA) honors..

For more information on the Elite 90 award winners, log on to NCAA.com/elite-90.