ROHNERT PARK—Meriam-Webster online defines Elite as: "the choice part." Mackenzie Gill certainly fits that description. When it comes to student-athletes, she is the cream of the crop. Friday, her hard work in classroom and on the pitch were recognized when she was presented with the California Collegiate Athletic Association's Elite 13 Award prior to the Chico State women's soccer team's CCAA Tournament semifinal match against Sonoma State.
 
The announcement came just prior to the start of the Wildcats' match, and was a pleasant surprise for Gill.
 
"I was really surprised, but it's definitely nice to get acknowledged for academics as well, so that was awesome," she said. "But very surprising."
 
The CCAA Elite 13 Award recognizes the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average at each CCAA-sponsored Championship site. The winner must be a junior academically in at least her second year of competition at her current institution, and an active member on the official championship roster. Gill, a senior psychology major from Roseville, boasts a 3.968 GPA. She is scheduled to graduate in May even though she admits to having "changed my major pretty much every year I have been at Chico State," and plans to pursue a master's degree in occupational therapy.
 
Gill has also been great on the soccer field. An honorable mention All-CCAA selection, she leads the team in goals and assists, and boasts career totals of six goals and seven assists.
 
This marks the third time a Chico State student-athlete has earned this award in the past four seasons of CCAA women's soccer. Sarah Emigh earned it in 2018 and 2021.
 
"I was super excited about the opportunity to win that award again," said Chico State Head Coach Kim Sutton. "I looked at our GPAs and I was hopeful but you just don't know. I just couldn't be prouder of her. For me, that's the true accolades. Our students are athletes after being students. They knock it out of the park in the classroom."