The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s tennis team earned the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s All-Academic Team honor for the 2015 season, the group recently announced. Five Mocs were also named ITA Scholar Athletes for their work in the classroom.
The ITA All-Academic Team award is open to any member program that has a cumulative team grade point average of 3.20 or above (on a 4.00 scale). All student-athletes whose names appear on the eligibility form and have competed in one or more varsity match must average into the GPA for the current academic year.
UTC recorded a 3.30 team GPA in 2014-15. This is the fifth year in a row, and the ninth time overall, the Mocs have earned the ITA All-Academic Team honor.
"Our student-athletes set high goals for themselves, and they expect excellence,” stated head coach Jeff Clark. “This year's group set the bar very high in terms of academic achievement, and I am proud of their efforts. It is also a credit to the outstanding academic support staff we have at UTC who help guide our players."
In order to earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status, a player must meet the following criteria:
1.) be a varsity letter winner,
2.) have a grade point average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year, and
3.) have been enrolled at their present school for at least 2 semesters.
Seniors Kaylene Chadwell and Claire Mulyadi, along with juniors Alison Storie, Katie Polk and Kayla Jones were all made the ITA Scholar Athlete team. It is the most Mocs to earn this recognition in one season since 2011.
Chattanooga is coming off an outstanding 18-4 season that included a second place finish in the Southern Conference at 7-1. The Mocs return four starters to the lineup and welcome a top-20 mid-major recruiting class for the upcoming season.
"At its core, college tennis is about higher education! And, our sport has always been a leader when it comes to high performing scholar-athletes," said Timothy Russell, Chief Executive Officer of the ITA. "This group represents the best of the best, as do their coaches who regularly serve as such great teachers and mentors of our sport's finest young people. Hearty and well-deserved congratulations coupled with loud cheers go out to all of these superstars of intercollegiate athletics.
About the ITA Awards program:
As the governing body of collegiate tennis, the ITA promotes both the athletic and academic achievements of varsity collegiate tennis players. The ITA, which is comprised of nearly 1,700 men's and women's varsity coaches and 20,000 student-athletes from over 1,200 institutions, has a comprehensive awards program for players and coaches to honor excellence in academics, leadership, sportsmanship and athletic performance. The ITA annually recognizes over 3,000 student-athletes on an individual and team basis from over 500 different varsity tennis programs. For more information on the ITA Awards program, please visit http://www.itatennis.com/AboutITA/AbouttheITA.htm.