UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Redshirt-senior Noah Roberson became a three-time Elite 90 Award winner after earning the honor for the 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Gymnastics Championships at the NCAA banquet Thursday, April 18.
Roberson is the first Penn State student-athlete to earn the honor three times and is just the sixth athlete in the history of the award across all NCAA sports to earn the honor three times. He is the fifth Penn State student-athlete to receive the award and the first since wrestler Matt Brown earned the prestigious honor in 2013. Moreover, Roberson is the second men's gymnast to earn the honor as Miguel Pineda garnered the award in 2011.
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.
Roberson, a Schreyer Honors Scholar, carries a 4.0 grade point average as a double major in biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering, while also earning his masters through the Penn State integrated program. He was also selected as the Student Marshal for his upcoming graduation. The Williamsville, New York native was the 2018 and 2017 Elite 90 Award winner, a 2016 Elite 90 Award Finalist, a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, a three-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, and earned First Team CGA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors in 2016, 2017 and 2018. He also was a 2018 CoSIDA Academic All-America At-Large First Team honoree.
This season, Roberson has competed in nine meets for the Nittany Lions on the still rings, winning the event once during 2019, and finishing second on five occasions. Roberson picked up the individual event victory at the West Point Open – team competition with a 14.500. He also recorded a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships with a career-best 14.750 and earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors for his performance.