For the second year in a row, University of Minnesota Duluth senior Grant Pulver has been chosen the NSIC Elite 18 Award winner for men's cross country. He was presented with the award during the ceremony following the NSIC Championships, which were held on Saturday at the Moorhead Soccer Complex in Moorhead, Minnesota. 

Pulver, a native of Chippewa Falls, Wis., maintains a perfect 4.00 cumulative grade point average as a statistics and actuarial science major. He  finished placed 27th overall at the 2017 NSIC Championships in a time of 25:44.9 while helping lead UMD to its highest team finish (second place) since 2010.

As part of the NSIC 25th Anniversary celebration, the NSIC Elite 18 Award was instituted to recognize the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the NSIC Championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The NSIC Elite 18 award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NSIC's 18 Championships.