New York, N.Y. - Osama Khalifa is the Ivy League Player of the Year for the third consecutive season, the league announced today. First-year Velavan Senthilkumar was a unanimous selection to the All-Ivy First team.

Playing in the No. 1 and 2 position, both Khalifa and Senthilkumar played an integral part in the Lion's winning their first ever Ivy League title this season.

Khalifa is coming off what was another stellar regular season for the senior from Cairo, Egypt in the No. 1 position. He went 12 -2 overall and 6-1 in Ivy League play en route to leading the Lions to first place in the league. He was a unanimous selection for the All-Ivy league team. 

Khalifa sealed Columbia's first-ever victory over Harvard on January 14, taking down uanimous All-Ivy selection Saadeldin Abouaish in five sets to earn Columbia's fifth point. On February 11 at Penn with the match tied at 4-4, Khalifa won the final match in the No. 1 position in three sets to secure the outright Ivy title for the Lions. 

"Osama has been an anchor at the top of our lineup for the past four seasons," Ivy League Coach of the Year Jacques Swanepoel said. "We have had numerous matches come down to him in recent years and he has always come through for us. He has excelled in all aspects of the student athlete life at Columbia and has been an integral part of the team's success in recent years." 

First-year Velavan Senthilkumar was a unanimous selection to the All-Ivy First Team. Playing primarily in the No. 2 position, Velavan Senthilkumar held a 12-1 record this season and was 5-1 in Ivy League play. The first-year's only loss came when he played in the No. 1 position against Dartmouth's first team All-Ivy unanimous selection Alvin Heumann. The future is bright for Senthilkumar as Khalifa will leave the No. 1 spot vacant upon graduation. 

Both Khalifa and Senthilkumar will look to lead the Ivy league champion No. 2 ranked Lions this weekend as they head to CSA Team National Championships.