From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
Case Western Reserve University sophomore Sahil Dayal was named the recipient of the Elite 90 Award for the 2022 NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championship.
Dayal, majoring in economics on the pre-medicine track, currently carries a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average. He was presented with the award during the men's tennis banquet on Sunday night in Orlando, Florida.
He is the fifth Spartan to win the award, joining men's tennis player Derek Reinbold (2014), cross country runner Sam Merriman (2016), swimmer Drew Hamilton (2018) and softball player Katie Wede (2018). He is also the fifth men's tennis player and 29th student-athlete in the history of the University Athletic Association to claim the honor.
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 his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The Elite 90 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 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.
Dayal has been a key player in the CWRU doubles lineup this season, going 10-5 in no. 2 doubles contests with partner Vishwa Aduru. The duo is 13th in the latest ITA Central Region rankings and fourth in the NCAA Region V rankings. He has gone 20-8 overall in doubles play this year and has added a 4-2 record in singles matches during the campaign.
For more information on the Elite 90 award winners, log on to https://www.ncaa.com/elite-90.