Ewing, NJ... Back in the fall of 2011, Meredith Jeffries (Washington, NJ/Warren Hills) was a starting defender for The College of New Jersey field hockey team that went on to win the NCAA Division III Championship.
 
Prior to the semifinals at the annual tournament banquet, Jeffries became the first student-athlete in Lion history to receive the Elite 89 Award. The award is presented at all NCAA Championships to the individual carrying the highest grade-point average of those competing in the final four. She is majoring in deaf education and English and boasts a GPA of 3.834.
 
A special perk of earning that award was that Jeffries and all of the Elite 89 recipients from the 2011-12 academic year were invited with a guest to attend the 2013 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Final Four in Atlanta, GA. This year, with the NCAA celebrating 75 years of “March Madness,” all three NCAA divisions played their title game in Atlanta. Jeffries left for Atlanta the Friday before the Final Four began and was accompanied by her father, Brian.
 
As soon as the pair touched down in Atlanta they got the feel of being around basketball royalty, NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell was on their train from the airport into the city. Over the course of the next couple of days, the saw numerous famous people from the basketball world, including Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Gary Payton, Elgin Baylor, Fab Five from the University of Michigan, Bobby Knight, Denny Crum, Jim Nance, Charles Barkley, Greg Gumble, and Magic Johnson. The sightings weren't just limited to basketball as comedians Will Farrell and Steve Carrell were also spotted.
 
“It was such an honor to even receive an award at the final four in 2011, but when I heard I was being awarded with tickets to the men's final four for basketball I couldn't believe it. I thought coach (Sharon Pfluger) was punking me when she called me over winter break to tell me,” Meredith Jeffries said. “This was a once in a lifetime event that I am so grateful and fortunate to have been able to experience.”
 
While in Atlanta, the Jeffries also got the opportunity to meet a number of the other Elite 89 winners from all three divisions at the national semifinals. Earlier that day they had passes for Bracket Town, a sponsored event with games, activities, and signings all day.
 
"What a wonderful experience attending the Men's Final Four with my daughter Meredith. It was clear by the way that we were treated by the NCAA that they value educational achievements just as much as they do athletic ones,” noted Brian Jeffries. “I'm very proud of her achievements and great experiences that she has had at TCNJ. Go Lions.”
 
On Sunday, Jeffries and her father got a chance to visit some family friends in the area and tuned up for the national title game by going to the Georgia Aquarium and the Coca Cola Museum. They then sat in the lower level of the Georgia Dome as the University of Louisville captured the title by holding off Michigan.
 
“Hard work always pays off, but I never could have dreamed it would pan out to a national championship, Elite 89 award, and now final four tickets a year later. It really was the gift that kept giving,” the senior added.