NORMAL, Ill. - Drake junior Alen Salibasic (Tuzla, Bosnia & Herzegovina) has been selected as the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Tennis Elite 18 Award winner, the league unveiled on Sunday (April 27). Salibasic earned the honor for the second consecutive campaign.

The Elite 18 Award program was established by the MVC in the fall of 2010 to honor the highest achievement on academics and athletics by a student-athlete in each league-sponsored sport. Modeled after the NCAA Elite 88 Academic Recognition Award Program, the MVC Elite 18 award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point-average competing at the finals site of each of the league's 18 team championships.

Salibasic boasts a perfect 4.0 GPA, majoring in international business.  He has helped Drake to a No. 39 ITA ranking, and the Bulldogs' eighth NCAA Tournament berth on the strength of a 38-20 combined singles/doubles record. He is 24-8 in singles this season and is currently ranked No. 71 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) in its national singles rankings. 

A first-team All-MVC selection in singles, Salibasic was also selected as the MVC Player of the Year as well as being tabbed an All-MVC Scholar-Athlete first team honoree.