From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
Case Western Reserve University sophomore Hannah Kassaie was named the recipient of the Elite 90 Award for the 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championship. Kassaie collected her award during practice on Thursday afternoon in Orlando, Florida, prior to her NCAA Individual Championship matches on Friday.
Kassaie, majoring in Nutrition, has a 4.0 cumulative grade point average.
She is the eighth Spartan student-athlete to win the award overall and fourth during the 2022-23 academic year. Kassaie joins men's tennis player Sahil Dayal (2023, 2022), women's soccer player Elizabeth White (2022), men's cross country runner Jack Begley (2022), men's tennis player Sahil Dayal (2022), softball player Katie Wede (2018), men's swimmer Drew Hamilton (2018), men's cross country runner Sam Merriman (2016), and men's tennis player Derek Reinbold (2014).
The Elite 90, an award founded by the NCAA, 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 their sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among their peers. The Elite 90 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the site of the finals for each of the NCAA 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 by the number of credits completed.
Case Western Reserve's nine NCAA Elite 90 Award winners are tied for fifth most all-time among Division III programs with St. Thomas (Minn.), behind only MIT (21), WashU (16), Salisbury (11), and Messiah (10).
This season, Kassaie is 19-2 (.905) in singles matches, including a 12-1 (.923) record at first singles for CWRU. In doubles play, she has a 21-5 (.808) record with sophomore Lily McCloskey, including a 17-3 (.850) mark at first doubles. She was named to the All-University Athletic Association First Team for her singles and doubles play for the second straight season. Over her career, she has a 43-5 (.896) record in singles play and 21-5 (.808) record in doubles play, currently holding program records for singles and doubles career winning percentage.
Kassaie helped lead the women's tennis team to its second consecutive trip to the NCAA Championship, with the team reaching the Second Round after defeating Transylvania 5-0 in the First Round. Kassaie will be competing in the NCAA Singles Championships starting on Friday, May 19, and will be joined by McCloskey for the NCAA Doubles Championship. She is making her second straight appearance in both tournaments.
For more information on the Elite 90 award winners, log on to https://www.ncaa.com/elite-90.