ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Tusculum's Fabian Paier has been named the inaugural recipient of the South Atlantic Conference Men's Tennis Elite 18 Award announced league officials Friday.

This is a new award for the conference and honors the student-athlete with the top cumulative grade-point average based on a minimum of 48 credit hours who is competing at the final site of each of the conference's 18 team championship sports.

Paier, a sophomore from Feldbach, Austria, holds a 4.00 GPA at Tusculum and is majoring in business administration and management.

Paier compiled a 4-2 record in singles for the Pioneers during the 2016-17 season, including a 1-1 mark in conference matches. He also had a 4-4 mark in doubles while playing with four different partners, playing primarily at number-three doubles. Paier has a career 8-2 record in singles and 8-5 in doubles for the Pioneers.

He is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, the Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll and the Dean's List.  He is also a member of the President's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List.  In 2016, he was the co-recipient of the Tusculum Freshman of the Year Academic Award.

Tusculum wrapped up its season on Thursday and were eliminated in the quarterfinal round of the SAC Championship in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The Pioneers finished with a 12-11 overall record for the program's sixth consecutive winning season.