CLAREMONT, Calif. - Elle Marsyla of the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps cross country and track and field teams has been selected as the women's sport recipient of the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society's 2025-26 Scholar Athlete of the Year, the organization announced today.

Zach Frank of St. John's (Minn.) football was selected as the men's sport recipient of the award. Frank and Marsyla now become the 15th and 16th recipients of the Chi Alpha Sigma Scholar-Athlete of the Year award since it was first introduced in 2018-19.

"Zach and Elle represent everything the Scholar Athlete of the Year award was created to celebrate," Kellen Wells-Mangold, executive director of the National College Athlete Honor Society, said. "Their accomplishments in competition and in the classroom are exceptional, but what truly distinguishes them is how they have used their talents and experiences to lead, serve others, and prepare to make an impact well beyond their collegiate careers. We are incredibly proud to recognize them as this year's honorees."

The Chi Alpha Sigma National Scholar Athlete of the Year award recognizes student-athletes from one men's sport and one women's sport who have each demonstrated academic and athletic achievement, as well as service and leadership both on-campus and in the community. Nominees must be junior or senior Chi Alpha Sigma inductees who have maintained a minimum of a 3.40 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) throughout their collegiate careers and demonstrated how their experiences as scholar-athletes have influenced and empowered them to be successful after graduation.

Marsyla finished her track and field career as the NCAA Division III champion in the women's 10,000-meter run, coming back from 50 meters down on the final lap to win by six-tenths of a second in 33:38.71 for a new personal best, a new CMS record, and the sixth-fastest 10K time in DIII history. She added a runner-up finish in the 5,000 meters and came in seventh at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships last fall.

Marsyla was also named the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Athlete of the Year in women's cross country after winning the individual conference title, and West Region Athlete of the Year honors in track and field. Beyond her running prowess, Marsyla has taken on leadership roles within the bioengineering research lab on campus and served as a teaching assistant for introductory biology courses. The computational biology major is now preparing to earn her PhD in bioinformatics as she works toward a career in cancer research. 

All-Time Chi Alpha Sigma Scholar Athletes of the Year

Year	Student-Athlete	Institution	Sport(s)
2018-19	Aliyah Gustafson	Bowling Green	Women's Track & Field
2018-19	Cole Rosenberger	Johns Hopkins	Men's Soccer
2019-20	Audrey Miller	Loras	Women's XC, Track & Field
2019-20	Andreas Vazaios	North Carolina State	Men's Swimming & Diving
2020-21	Kieran Mullins	Rutgers	Men's Lacrosse
2020-21	Emma Schulz	SUNY Cortland	Women's Gymnastics
2021-22	Eric Knowles	North Carolina State	Men's Swimming & Diving
2021-22	Zaresha Neal	Bowling Green	Women's Track & Field
2022-23	Trent Hidlay	North Carolina State	Men's Wrestling
2022-23	Fiona Smith	Saint Benedict	Women's XC, Track & Field
2023-24	Will Kelly	St. Olaf	Men's XC, Track & Field
2023-24	Malak Mowafi	Penn State Schuylkill	Women's XC, Basketball, Track
2024-25	Cedric Drenth	Wayne State	Men's Tennis
2024-25	Thea Ring	North Park	Women's Track & Field
2025-26	Zach Frank	Saint John's (Minn.)	Football
2025-26	Elle Marsyla	CMS	Women's XC, Track & Field