Aberdeen, S.D. – As announced on the opening day of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships from Emporia, Kansas, Levi Reis is the 2026 recipient of the NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete Award. Reis, a junior from Northern State University, qualified for his first national championships in the javelin after winning the NSIC Championship. He will make his championships debut this Saturday from the Francis G. Welch Stadium.
 
Reis is majoring in Biology at Northern State and holds a 4.0 GPA. The Ellendale, North Dakota native is a 3-time all-conference performer for the Wolves in the javelin, taking second in 2024 and 2025, while winning the title this spring. He holds the school record in the event, throwing 66.27m, the mark that qualified him for the NCAA Championships. In addition, Reis earned CSC Academic All-District® honors following the 2024-25 season. He is the third Northern State Wolf to earn the NCAA's top academic award a championship with DJ Pollard and Sasha Hovind bringing home NCAA Elite 90 honors in 2017-18.
 
The Elite Scholar-Athlete award recognizes the true essence of student-athletes by honoring the individuals who have reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in their sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among their peers. The Elite Scholar-Athlete award 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 academically who have participated in a sport for at least two years with their school. All ties are broken based on the number of credits completed.
 
For more information on the Elite Scholar-Athlete award winners, log on to https://www.ncaa.org/elitescholarathlete.