TECH TENNIS EARNS ITA NCAA DIVISION II ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM HONOR; THREE GOLDEN SUNS NAMED ITA SCHOLAR ATHLETES

        SKILLMAN, New Jersey – Arkansas Tech Women’s Tennis is one of 41 NCAA Division II schools that have recently been named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic Team Award winner for the 2008-09 school year.

The ITA All-Academic Team award is open to any ITA program that has a cumulative team grade point average of 3.20 or above. All eligible student-athletes whose names appear on the NCAA/NAIA/NJCAA eligibility form and have competed in one or more matches must average into the GPA for the current academic year.

“What a nice honor for our team to be recognized once again this year by the ITA for its efforts in the classroom,” Golden Suns Head Coach Abby Davis said. “Our players take pride in not only striving to be the best on the court, but also to be the best in the classroom. I am proud of their accomplishment.”

Tech, who finished last school year with a cumulative team GPA of 3.26, was one of five Gulf South Conference schools named an ITA All-Academic Team. The other GSC schools honored were Harding, Ouachita Baptist, Southern Arkansas and Valdosta State.

In addition to announcing its ITA All-Academic Teams for the 2008-09 school year, the ITA also named 190 NCAA Division II student-athletes to its Scholar-Athlete List. Among the 65 female student-athletes named were former Golden Suns Kristen Brown (Winona, Texas.) and Anna Carson (Fort Smith, Ark.), along with junior Jessica James (Valley Springs, Ark.). Brown and Carson were both named All-GSC West Division selections, while James was named to the GSC Women’s Tennis All-Academic Team.

          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 (including freshman through senior year).

          According to the ITA website (www.itatennis.com), the ITA promotes both the athletic and academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, which was founded in 1956 and is based in Skillman, NJ, administers numerous regional and national championships, the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit presented by the USTA, and the Fila Collegiate Tennis rankings for men’s and women’s tennis at the NCAA Division I, II and  III, NAIA and Junior College levels. The ITA also has a comprehensive awards program for players and coaches to honor excellence in academics, leadership and sportsmanship.

          Complete list of 2009 ITA All-Academic Teams and Scholar-Athletes

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