Lombardi Wins Elite 89 Men's Tennis Award

Lombardi Wins Elite 89 Men's Tennis Award
Men's tennis player Renato Lombardi won the Elite 89 Award. Photo by Joel Auerbach

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. -- Barry University's Renato Lombardi was named the men's tennis NCAA Elite 89 Award winner at the NCAA Division II Championships banquet Tuesday night.

Lombardi, a sophomore from Lausanne, Switzerland, received the honor for being the student-athlete with the highest grade point average among the 16 participating teams at the men's tennis championships. Lombardi carries a 3.94 GPA in finance.

On the court, he is 14-1 in singles and 21-1 in doubles.

Lombardi is the second Barry athlete to receive the Elite 89 Award. Former men's golfer Daniel Stapff won the award in 2012.

The Elite 89, 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.

Barry opens play in the NCAA Championships Round of 16 at 4 p.m. Wednesday vs. No. 10 Drury. Follow the match via LIVE SCORING