MOUNT OLIVE (Feb. 17) – University of Mount Olive redshirt senior Colby Teague received the Conference Carolinas Elite 23 Award at the Conference Carolinas Men's Wrestling Championship, which was hosted at Finis Horne Arena on the campus of Lander.

Teague boasts a perfect 4.00 cumulative grade-point-average (GPA) while pursuing his master's degree in counseling: clinical mental health. He earned his bachelor's degree in May 2023 in recreational therapy from the University of Mount Olive.

A native of Newton, North Carolina, Teague became the first-ever recipient from Mount Olive to receive the Elite 23 Award following the inception of the award last year with the introduction of the league men's wrestling championship. A former National Qualifier and NWCA Scholar All-American, Teague holds an 11-10 overall record while competing at 174 and 184 this season. He finished with a 5-3 record in Conference Carolinas regular season duals.

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.