From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
Case Western Reserve University senior swimmer Drew Hamilton (Cincinnati, Ohio / Turpin) received the Elite 90 award for the 2018 NCAA Division III Men's Swimming and Diving Championships.
Hamilton, currently majoring in Accounting and Spanish, currently carries a 3.947 cumulative grade point average and has accumulated an incredible 141 credits during his time at the school. He was presented with the award during the championship banquet on Tuesday evening at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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 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.
Hamilton is the first CWRU swimmer to ever win the award, which was has been presented annually at each NCAA Championship site since the 2009-10 academic year. He joins Sam Merriman (men's cross country, 2016) and Derek Reinbold (men's tennis, 2014) as the only other two Spartans to ever win the award. Hamilton also became the second UAA swimmer (men's or women's) to ever claim the honor (along with Eric Hallman of Chicago in 2013) and is one of just 16 athletes to claim the award in the conference's history.
Over his career, Hamilton has collected five All-American certificates and has claimed six All-UAA honors. During the 2016-17 season, he earned All-America Honorable Mention in the 500-yard freestyle (15th, 4:30.51) and in the 400-yard individual medley (ninth, 3:57.85) at the NCAA Championships. Hamilton also earned All-UAA in the 800-yard freestyle relay with a second place finish at the UAA Championships. As a sophomore in 2015-16, Hamilton was a member of the 800-yard freestyle relay team that finished 10th at the NCAA Championships. In addition, that relay team was the UAA champion in the event, becoming the first CWRU squad ever to win a relay event at the UAA Championships.
During the 2014-15 season, Hamilton earned All-America Honorable Mention in the 800-yard freestyle (14th) and in the 1,650-yard freestyle (15th) at the NCAA Championships. He also became the first CWRU swimmer (male or female) to be named UAA Rookie of the Year. Hamilton earned the honor after finishing first in the 500-yard freestyle at the UAA Championships, while also adding a second-place finish in the 400-yard individual medley and a second-place finish in the 800-yard freestyle relay. Hamilton currently holds six individual program records and is a member of two school-record holding relay teams.
This season, Hamilton qualified for the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships for a fourth-consecutive year. He will compete in the 500-yard freestyle (seeded 17th with a time of 4:30.70) on Wednesday, the 400-yard individual medley (seeded 19th with a time of 3:58.98) on Thursday, and will conclude the championships with the 100-yard freestyle (seeded 44th with a time of 46.15) on Saturday.
For more information on the Elite 90 award winners, log on to NCAA.com/elite-90.