Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Men's tennis earns ITA All-Academic Award
09/14/2009 | 12:00:00 | Men's Tennis
Sept. 14, 2009
By Michael Benson
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) has announced that the SIU men's tennis team has been honored as an ITA All-Academic Team after achieving a 3.55 cumulative GPA.
In order to qualify for the honor, a team must have at least a 3.20 GPA. All eligible student-athletes whose names appear on the eligibility form and have competed in one or more varsity matches must average into the GPA for the current academic year, which includes fall 2008 and spring 2009.
On the court, the team finished with a 18-7 record and won their first Missouri Valley Conference men's tennis championship since 1990.
In addition, four members of last year's SIU men's tennis team - Anton Leonenko, Sebastian Rubiano, Hugo Vidal, and Felipe Villasenor - were honored with the ITA Scholar-Athlete Award.
In order to receive recognition, an athlete must be a varsity letterwinner, have a grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) for both semesters of the current academic year, and also must have been enrolled at their current school for at least two semesters.
In the 2009 season, Leonenko finshed 14-8 in singles play, Rubiano recorded a 17-4 mark, Vidal was 14-8, and Villasenor notched a 17-7 record.
"We are very pleased to be honored by the ITA for our achievements in the classroom," remarked head coach Dann Nelson. "Our 2008-2009 team consisted of a very special group of guys. Not only did they win the MVC and have the best season in 20 years, they also hit a home run in the classroom. The combination of both is very special and does not happen all the time."
Players Mentioned
