Case Western Reserve University senior Ajay Mahenthiran was named the recipient of the Elite 90 Award for the 2025 NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championship. Mahenthiran received the honor prior to the fourth-ranked men's tennis team's national quarterfinal match on Monday in Claremont, California.
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.
Mahenthiran, majoring in biology and also pursuing a master's degree in public health, has a 4.0 cumulative GPA. He is the 10th CWRU student-athlete to win the award since it was first given out during the 2009-10 academic year and the third member of the Spartan men's tennis team. Former student-athlete Sahil Dayal received the honor in each of the past three years, and Derek Reinbold was the first-ever Case Western Reserve honoree in 2014.
This season, Mahenthiran claimed All-University Athletic Association singles honors for the third consecutive year after being named to the First Team in 2024 and the Second Team in 2023. He went 2-1 in singles matches during the UAA Championship, including victories over 40th-ranked Dean Kamenev of Emory and sixth-ranked Alexander Ekstrand of Chicago to earn First Team selection in 2025. Mahenthiran is 24-11 overall this season, and 17-8 as the team's first singles player, and is ranked 11th among Division III singles players this season by the ITA. In doubles play, he has a 20-6 record including a 13-4 mark at third doubles.
Last year, he won the ITA Central Fall Central Region Singles Championship to earn his first career All-America honor. He has accumulated 88 career singles wins, fourth most in program history.
Academically, Mahenthiran was named to the CSC Academic All-America First Team and All-District Team last season. He is a three-time UAA All-Academic honoree and has been inducted into the CWRU Van Horn Society twice.
For more information on the Elite 90 award winners, log on to https://www.ncaa.com/elite-90
