HONOLULU — University of Hawai'i sophomore Gabrielle Doyle was named the recipient of the NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete award for the 2026 National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship.
 
Doyle, majoring in Business, currently carries a 4.0 GPA. Doyle was presented with the award during the championship banquet on Thursday evening in La Jolla, Calif.
 
The Elite Scholar-Athlete award recognizes the true essence of student-athletes by honoring the individuals who have reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in their sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among their peers. The Elite Scholar-Athlete award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's championships.
 
Eligible student-athletes are sophomores or above academically who have participated in a sport for at least two years with their school. All ties are broken based on the number of credits completed.
 
UH claimed the Elite Scholar-Athlete (formerly ELITE 90) Award for women's water polo for the fifth time in program history and became the first team to earn the honor in three consecutive years. Doyle is the fourth Rainbow Wahine water polo player to earn the award, joining Amarens Genee (2013), Taylor Molde (2015) and current UH teammate Raha Peiravani (2024 and '25).
 
In all, UH has claimed eight Elite Scholar-Athlete awards in four sports. Other award winners were Stephanie Brandt (women's volleyball, 2009), Katie Spieler (2016, beach volleyball) and Kāna'i Akana (2022, men's volleyball).
 
For more information on the Elite Scholar-Athlete award winners, log on to https://www.ncaa.org/elitescholarathlete.
 
The Big West champion Rainbow Wahine (16-5) will face California in the first round of the NCAA championship on Friday at Canyonview Aquatic Center. The match is set for 11 a.m. Hawaii Time (2 p.m. Pacific Time).