Cobras Named ITA All-Academic Team; Five Players Earned ITA Scholar-Athlete Accolades

TEMPE, Ariz. - The Coker College women's tennis team has been named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic Team, the association announced today. Also, five players from the 2016-17 roster were named ITA Scholar-Athletes. In all, 720 teams and 3,908 student-athletes across all five divisions of college tennis were honored. 

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 were factored into the cumulative team GPA for the current academic year (including fall 2016 and spring 2017).

As a unit, the Coker women's tennis team collected a 3.81 GPA during the 2016-17 academic year. On the court, the Navy and Gold finished the season with a 6-9 record this past season.

Jenna Gainey, Jennifer Mezei, Suzanna Mickey, Jennifer Ruetten, and Julia Sorrells were all named ITA scholar athletes.

"I am so incredibly proud of our women's team on being selected as an ITA All-Academic team, and I'm thrilled to see so many individuals earning individual scholar-athlete awards," said head tennis coach Bill Simpson. "They are preparing themselves for a great future and are laying the groundwork in creating a team identity that includes athletic and academic excellence."

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).

Gainey, a rising senior hailing from Bishopville, S.C., finished the 2016-17 academic year with a 3.79 GPA. The exercise science major finished the season with three singles victories and collected six wins in doubles play.

Mezei, also a rising senior from Bavaria, Germany, earned a 4.0 GPA during the 2016-17 academic year. The communications major finished the 2016-17 season with a team-high seven singles wins on the year, including five of them in conference play. In addition, Mezei compiled five victories in doubles play.

Mickey, a rising senior from Sumter, S.C. compiled a 3.9 GPA during the 2016-17 academic year. On the court, she won five matches in singles play and four in doubles.

Ruetten is a rising sophomore from Heinsberg, Germany and is a business administration major. In the classroom, she earned a 3.9 GPA. On the court, Ruetten won five singles and doubles matches.

Sorrells is a rising senior from Sumter, S.C. The physical education major earned a 3.76 GPA during the 2016-17 academic year. On the court, she won three singles matches and collected six doubles victories.