TEMPE, Ariz. - The Simmons College women's tennis team received the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic Team award, while sophomore Michelle Medici (South Portland, Maine) and first year Marissa Johnson (Norwell, Mass.) each earned Scholar-Athlete recognition, it was announced by the ITA.

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

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 two semesters (including freshman thorough senior year).

The Sharks compiled a 3.24 cumulative GPA as a team for the 2016-17 campaign. Simmons tennis has earned the All-Academic Team award in eight of the last 10 years, including five straight seasons and has seen multiple student-athlete receive Scholar-Athlete status in each of the last 10 years. 

Medici and Johnson each completed their first seasons, respectively, for the Sharks, thus earning the academic honor in their first year of eligibility for the accolade. Johnson posted a perfect 4.0 following her first semester of college with the Sharks.

The ITA is the governing body of college tennis, overseeing men's and women's varsity tennis at NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College. The ITA administers a comprehensive awards and rankings program for the men's and women's varsity players, coaches and teams in all divisions, providing recognition for their accomplishments on and off the court. For more information on the ITA, visit the ITA website at www.itatennis.com.

Simmons finished its season with a 7-10 record, including 5-1 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference play and advanced to the GNAC Championship for the 13th straight year, before bowing to Johnson & Wales University, 5-1, on October 23, 2016. The Sharks saw their consecutive win streak over conference opponents come to an end on October 5 with 76 straight victories prior to the league defeat.