LORMAN, Miss. – All eight Alcorn State Men's Tennis student-athletes have earned recognition as ITA Division I Men's Scholar-Athletes, while on the women's side, six Braves student-athletes earned recognition as ITA Division I Women's Scholar-Athletes announced this week by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).
 
As individual programs, both the Alcorn State Men's and Women's Tennis teams were named ITA All-Academic Teams.
 
To be named an ITA All-Academic Team, programs must meet the following requirements:
• have a team grade point average of 3.2 or above (on a 4.00 scale),
• all student-athletes included should be listed on the intuitional eligibility form, and
• all varsity letter winners should be factored into the cumulative team GPA for the current academic year.
 
After being selected as a 2022 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Second Team performer from the spring, junior Luka Rodic headlines the Braves Men's Tennis team that saw all eight members of Head Coach Darnesha Moore's squad named ITA Scholar Athletes by maintaining a grade point average of 3.5 or better.
 
To be named an ITA Scholar-Athlete, one must meet the following requirements:
• have a grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year, and
• be listed on the institutional eligibility form
 
Joining Rodic as ITA scholar-athletes from the men's team were Luka Andonov, Kareem Bowe, Lucas Dini, Dakota Fernandez, David Pata, Santiago Rocca and Isaac Santitto. The Braves advanced to the semifinals of the SWAC Championships this past spring, before ultimately falling to Jackson State.
 
"Academia is an integral aspect of the college tennis experience and adds to the unique student-athlete experience found on college campuses across the nation," the ITA writes.
 
Meanwhile, Moore's women's team for the Braves saw six student-athletes collect ITA Academic distinction from the 2021-22 academic and athletic season.
 
Jaime Edwards, Kimberly Kaome, Mikaela Konstantinova, Andrea Quiroz, Veronica Rodriguez and Aizat Zholdakayeva earned the honors by maintaining a grade point average of 3.5 or better.
 
This past spring, the Braves Women's Tennis team advanced to the quarterfinals of the SWAC Championships, before eventually falling to Prairie View A&M in the closest of fashions, 4-3. Four of the six singles matches went to deciding third sets, including a 6-1, 1-6, 7-5 win from Quiroz.
 
Within the sport of tennis, student-athletes continue to exceed expectations in the classroom and on the court. In 2022, 933 Division I Men's student-athletes were named an ITA Scholar-Athlete and 163 men's tennis programs were awarded the All-Academic Team distinction.
 
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