Gainesville, Ga. – Graduate student Erin Murphy of the Northeastern women's rowing team has earned the 2026 NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete Award, presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's championships.

Murphy completed her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry in Spring 2025 with a perfect 4.0 GPA before earning her Master's degree in Biotechnology in Spring 2026 — also with a 4.0.

The honor makes Northeastern the only Division I women's rowing program in history to produce three consecutive Elite Scholar-Athlete Award winners, following Windsyr Maughan's back-to-back honors in 2024 and 2025.

The Elite Scholar-Athlete Award 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.