BROOKINGS, S.D.—South Dakota fourth-year junior Abrielle Jirele has been named the Summit League Cross Country Female Scholar of the Championship announced by the league office Saturday.
 
Jirele, a three-time Academic All-Summit honoree, boasts a perfect 4.00 cumulative grade-point average as a communication sciences and disorders major.
 
A native of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Jirele has finished in the Coyotes' scoring five each time out this fall. She was South Dakota's lead runner at the Roy Griak Invitational, completing the 6,000-meter course in 21:41.9. Jirele has garnered six career all-Summit honors and was the 2023 Summit League Indoor Track MVP.
 
The Summit League Scholar of the Championship is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative undergraduate grade-point average participating at each of the Summit League's 19 championships. Each institution that is participating in a Summit League Championships is eligible to submit one nominee for the Scholar of the Championship award.
 
South Dakota toes the line at the Summit League Championships on Saturday. The men's race is slated for 11 a.m. while Jirele and the Coyote women race at noon.