Three Hope College student-athletes were recognized with the inaugural Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Academic Elite Award: senior Eva Hurting, junior Caroline Curnutt and junior Alyssa Segura.

Hope College standouts from its women's lacrosse and volleyball teams are among the first-ever 88 recipients of the MIAA's honor created to recognize exceptional academic achievement among student-athletes across the conference. Established by the MIAA Faculty Athletic Representatives, the Academic Elite Award will be presented annually to the male and female student-athlete in each sport with the highest cumulative grade-point average. Honorees must have at least two years of varsity participation and hold junior or senior academic standing. Each of these three Hope student-athletes achieved a cumulative 4.0 GPA.

Three Hope College student-athletes are among the 2024-25 MIAA Academic Elite list: 

Curnutt (Lacrosse; Defense Position) of Fishers, Indiana. She returns to Hope this year, pursuing an elementary education degree. Caroline was named to the All-MIAA First Team her sophomore and junior seasons, and MIAA Second Team her freshman year. 

Segura (Lacrosse; Attack Position) of Naples, Florida. Alyssa is also returning to Hope this year, majoring in Christian history theology and English. In 2024 and 2025 Alyssa was awarded the Academic All-District honor, organized by College Sports Communicators to recognize student-athletes' combined performance in the classroom and team competition.

"Both of these young women (Caroline and Alyssa) give tremendous effort to be exceptional in the classroom, and we are so proud of them," remarked Keagan Pieri, the Hope College women's lacrosse head coach.

Hartung (Volleyball; Defensive Specialist Position) of Lisle, Illinois. Eva graduated this spring with a public accounting and business degree. Eva was named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll for three consecutive years and received the 2024 NCAA Elite 90 Award, also recognizing her high academic results.

"We're going to miss Eva this next season, and we couldn't be more proud of this outgoing honor she's received, for her success on the court and in the classroom," added Becky Schmidt, Hope's head volleyball coach: "

The Academic Elite Award underscores the MIAA's continued dedication to upholding the highest standards of academic achievement within its athletic programs. "We are proud to celebrate these student-athletes for their hard work and dedication to what makes the MIAA and Division III special," said MIAA Commissioner Jason Horn.