NEW DELHI: Indian paddler Mudit Dani has entered the history books by becoming the first Indian to win the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) Male Athlete of the Year award for his exceptional performances in 2022-23.

The NCTTA is a national organisation member of USA Table Tennis and the prestigious award is given to the best performing male athlete across USA and Canadian universities at the end of every season.

"It is an incredible honour to receive the NCTTA Male Athlete of the Year award in itself. And more so as the first Indian to achieve this. Representing India at any level is always the most fulfilling thing for me," Mudit exclaimed.

The Mumbai-based youngster, who recently completed his master's from the Stern School of Business at New York University, had clinched two gold medals to guide his side to their second successive NCTTA National Championships title.

His exceptional performance also includes an unbeaten 11-0 record in the 2022-23 season.

The 24-year-old clinched his maiden ITTF senior medal in 2019 at the US Open Championships and also reached the doubles quarter-finals at the WTT event in the USA last year.