HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker College women's tennis team was named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic Team, with six players earning ITA scholar-athlete honors, the association announced today.

More than 4,200 scholar-athletes were recognized across all divisions, along with over 700 all-academic teams. In all, 87 Division II were recognized as ITA All-Academic teams.

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 (on a 4.00 scale). All varsity letter winners should be factored into the cumulative team GPA for the current academic year (including fall 2015 and spring 2016).

As a team, the Coker women's tennis program compiled a 3.8 GPA in 2015-16. On the court, they collected seven wins, including a 6-5 record in conference play and a second-straight trip to the South Atlantic Conference Championship Tournament.

Sarah Elliott, Jenna Gainey, Jennifer Mezei, Suzanna Mickey, Bailey Palmer and Ragan Palmer were all named ITA Scholar-Athletes.

"I am so incredibly proud of the accomplishments these girls have achieved this season," said head men's and women's tennis coach Bill Simpson. "They are focused on not only excelling on the tennis court, but in the classroom as well. They each personify what being a student-athlete is and they have represented the Coker athletic department and tennis program extremely well." 

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).

Elliott, a rising senior from Pawleys Island, S.C., earned a 3.85 GPA during the 2015-16 academic year. On the court, Elliott earned a 7-10 overall singles record and a 5-6 SAC singles record.

She is the daughter of Denita and Barry Elliott. She is a psychology major

Gainey, a rising junior hailing from Bishopville, S.C., finished the 2015-16 academic year with a 3.91 GPA. She finished the season with a 0-2 record.

She is the daughter of Candace and Sid Outlaw and is majoring in exercise science.

Mezei, also a rising junior from Bavaria, Germany, earned a 3.89 GPA during the 2015-16 academic year. Mezei finished the 2015-16 season with an 8-10 overall and a 5-6 SAC record. She earned All-SAC honors in doubles as well. 

She is the daughter of Eniko and Janos-A Mezei. She is a communications major.

Mickey, a rising junior from Sumter, S.C. compiled a 4.0 GPA in the 2015-16 academic year. She finished the season with an even 9-9 overall record, which included a team-best 7-4 record in South Atlantic Conference play.

She is a biology major with a concentration in ecology.

Bailey Palmer, a rising senior from Port Orange, Fla. finished the 2015-2016 year with a 4.0 GPA. She finished the 2016 season with a 8-10 overall record, which included a 5-6 in-conference record.

She is the daughter of Jacqueline and Todd Palmer. She is an education major with a concentration in elementary education.

Twin sister, Ragan Palmer also earned a 4.0 during the 2015-16 academic year. The Port Orange, Fla. native is also a rising senior. She finished the season with a 6-10 overall record and a 5-4 SAC record.

She is also the daughter of Jacqueline and Todd Palmer. She is an education major with a concentration in elementary education.