MOUNT OLIVE (April 30) – University of Mount Olive sophomore Bram Poel earned the Conference Carolinas Elite 23 Award at the Conference Carolinas Men's Tennis Championship, which was held at the Palmetto Tennis Center in Sumter, South Carolina.

Poel holds a perfect 4.00 cumulative grade-point-average (GPA) while pursuing a bachelor's degree in business management.

A native of Leiden, Netherlands, Poel became just the second player in program history to receive the Elite 23 honor since the inception of the award during the 2018-19 academic year. Across all sports, the Trojans have garnered the accolade 17 times, including three student-athletes that have won the award multiple times. Poel has delivered a breakout sophomore campaign after posting 15-4 record in singles while playing primarily in the fourth position. Additionally, he registered a 14-6 mark in doubles while playing alongside freshman Lenn Hoffmann this season.

The Elite 23 Award is modeled after the NCAA's Elite 90 Award and honors the student-athlete with the top GPA that is competing at the championship site. The selection criteria for the Elite 23 is identical to that of the NCAA Elite 90 awards, which honor the student-athlete with the top GPA at each of the championship final sites of the 90 championships across all three divisions – I, II, and III.