Six Sharks Named Scholar Athletes by ITA; Simmons Tennis Earns All-Academic Team Award

TEMPE, Ariz. - The Simmons University women's tennis team received the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic Team award, while senior Michelle Medici (South Portland, Maine) and juniors Marissa Johnson (Norwell, Mass.) and Nickie Nguyen (Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam/Saint Joseph Preparatory (Mass.)) joined first years Ally Cunningham (Augusta, Maine), Sarah Mariski (Portland, Maine) and Megan McKeever (Stamford, Conn.) each earned Scholar-Athlete recognition, it was announced today by the ITA.
Posted: Jul 18, 2019
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Simmons University women's tennis team received the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic Team award, while senior Michelle Medici (South Portland, Maine) and juniors Marissa Johnson (Norwell, Mass.) and Nickie Nguyen (Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam/Saint Joseph Preparatory (Mass.)) joined first years Ally Cunningham (Augusta, Maine), Sarah Mariski (Portland, Maine) and Megan McKeever (Stamford, Conn.) each earned Scholar-Athlete recognition, it was announced today 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 2018 and spring 2019).

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 first year through senior year).

The Sharks total of six Scholar-Athletes is their highest total since seven Simmons student-athletes were touted in 2016 and puts the Sharks among the top 30% of schools recognized this year by the ITA.

 

Simmons tennis compiled a 3.56 cumulative GPA as a team for the 2018-19 campaign. Simmons tennis has earned the All-Academic Team award in 10 of the last 12 years, including seven straight seasons and has seen multiple student-athlete receive Scholar-Athlete status in each of the last 12 years. 

Medici and Johnson each earn the academic honor for the third straight season, while Nguyen, Cunningham, Mariski and McKeever are all first-time honorees. All six student-athletes posted GPAs of at least 3.6 for the academic year, while Medici posted a perfect 4.0 following both the fall and spring semesters with the Sharks. Jonson registered a 4.0 for the fall semester.

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 5-13 record and advanced to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship Tournament for the 17th straight year.

Scoreboard
  • Sat, 04/27 Women's Tennis vs. Lesley W, 7-2 (Final) RC | R
  • Wed, 04/24 Women's Tennis vs. Emerson L, 6-0 (Final) RC | R
  • Fri, 04/19 Women's Tennis vs. Husson L, 6-3 (Final) RC | R
  • Fri, 04/12 Women's Tennis vs. Bentley (Postponed)
  • Sat, 10/14 Women's Tennis vs. Regis (Mass.) L, 5-1 (Final) RC | R | PR