BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Kutztown University's Bilawal Suri (Kolkata, India/Calcutta International) (Kolkata, India/Calcutta International School) earned the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Champion Scholar Award for men's tennis.
 
Suri was presented with the award at the PSAC Championships at Bloomsburg before the Golden Bears semifinal match against Millersville.  KU went on to defeat the Marauders 5-4 to reach the conference championship match.
 
The PSAC Champion Scholar Awards are modeled after the NCAA's Elite 89 award and honor the student-athlete with the top grade point average who is competing at the site of each of the PSAC's 23 team championship finals. The selection criteria for the Champion Scholar Awards is identical to that of the NCAA Elite 89 awards, which honor the student-athlete with the top GPA at each of the championship finals sites of the 89 NCAA championships across all three divisions - I, II and III. Suri is the inaugural recipient of the award for the men's tennis championship as the Champion Scholar Awards are being initiated during the current academic year. 
 
Suri is a sophomore Business Administration major with a stellar 3.93 grade point average.  He is 4-4 this season in doubles action.  He is the fourth foreign born student-athlete to win a PSAC Champion Scholar Award this season.
 
He is the second student-athlete from Kutztown to win the award this season.  Josh Smith of the football team was honored with the award at the PSAC Championship game in November.