For Elle Marsyla \u201926, the drive that carried her to the top of the NCAA Division III podium is closely connected to the curiosity that has shaped her work in mathematical and computational biology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marsyla, an alum of the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps cross country and track and field teams, has been named the women\u2019s sport recipient of Chi Alpha Sigma\u2019s 2025\u201326 Scholar Athlete of the Year award. The national honor recognizes student-athletes who combine academic and athletic achievement with leadership and service on campus and in their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marsyla finished her collegiate running career in dramatic fashion, winning the NCAA Division III championship in the women\u2019s 10,000-meter run. After entering the final lap 50 meters behind the leader, she closed the gap and surged ahead to win by six-tenths of a second in 33:38.71. The performance was a personal best, a CMS record and the sixth-fastest 10K time in Division III history. She also finished second in the 5,000 meters and seventh at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships in fall 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her accomplishments earned her SCIAC Athlete of the Year honors in women\u2019s cross country after she won the individual conference championship, as well as West Region Athlete of the Year honors in track and field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At Mudd, Marsyla pursued her interest in biology and computation through research and teaching. She took on leadership roles in the bioengineering research lab of Steven Santana, associate professor of engineering and holder of the Joseph B. Platt Chair in Effective Teaching, and served as a teaching assistant for introductory biology courses. Those experiences are helping prepare her for her next goal: earning a PhD in bioinformatics and pursuing a career in cancer research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Scholar Athlete of the Year award recognizes more than achievement in the classroom or on the track. Nominees must be junior or senior Chi Alpha Sigma inductees with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.40 and demonstrate how their experiences as scholar-athletes have prepared them to contribute beyond college. Zach Frank of St. John’s (Minn.) football was selected as the men’s sport recipient of the award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cZach and Elle represent everything the Scholar Athlete of the Year award was created to celebrate,\u201d said Kellen Wells-Mangold, executive director of the National College Athlete Honor Society. \u201cTheir 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.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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