LANCASTER, Pa. - Swarthmore College men's tennis senior Rushil Patel has been honored as the 2024 Centennial Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

The Centennial recognizes a Scholar-Athlete of the Year in each of its 24 championship sports to a junior or senior member of the All-Conference team with the highest cumulative grade point average. The overall Scholar-Athletes of the Year are presented to the student with the highest GPA among the 12 men and 12 women's winners.

Patel becomes the first two-time winner of the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award after also taking the honor in 2023. An economics and computer science major from Duncan, S.C., Patel maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average entering his final semester this spring. Patel earned All-Centennial doubles accolades for the third time in his career this season, landing on the first team along with doubles partner Andres Fente. It marked the first time that Patel received first team All-CC honors after previously earning second team laurels in both 2022 and 2023. Patel notched a 12-4 overall doubles record during the 2022-23 season, playing primarily from the No. 2 spot. Patel and Fente were 9-3 when teamed together, including a 5-0 mark in CC play. Patel and the Garnet captured their second consecutive Centennial men's tennis crown, registered a school-record 22 wins (22-2 record), and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament with the program's first NCAA postseason win since 2007.

Franklin & Marshall College volleyball senior Meredith Mangum was the 2024 Centennial Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.