SKILLMAN, N.J. --- The Tusculum College men's
tennis team is one of only 20 colleges and universities in NCAA
Division II to be recognized as an Intercollegiate Tennis
Association All-Academic Team. The Pioneers also had four of its
members earn ITA Scholar Athlete distinction.
The ITA All-Academic Team Award is presented to any ITA program
that has above a 3.2 cumulative grade point average. ITA Scholar
Athletes are student-athletes who are a varsity letter-winner, have
a GPA of 3.5 or higher for the current academic year and have been
enrolled at their present school for at least two semesters.
The Pioneers boasted a 3.438 team GPA, the best of Tusculum's 14 sponsored sports. This also marks the fourth straight year that the Tusculum men's tennis program has earned the ITA All-Academic Team Award.
Henrique Rodrigues (Salvador-Bahia, Brazil), who graduated from Tusculum this past May, went 7-11 at singles, but 11-8 in doubles with teammate Luis Zamora. Rodrigues earned All-South Atlantic Conference Second Team honors for a third straight year and has garnered ITA Scholar Athlete recognition four times since his arrival on the Greeneville campus. Rodrigues was also named the SAC Scholar Athlete for Men's Tennis and is currently enrolled in graduate school at the University of South Carolina.
Steven Lin returns to the ITA Scholar Athlete Team for a second straight year, after earning All-Conference Second Team honors for a second consecutive season. The Ping Dong, Taiwan junior played at No. 3 singles and posted a 14-5 record, including victories in five of his last seven outings. He also went 13-6 at No. 2 doubles, including 12-6 with teammate Oliver Smith. In his two years at Tusculum, Lin has posted a 29-9 singles record, while also going 26-13 in doubles play.
Zamora, a sophomore from Santiago, Chile, makes his inaugural appearance on the ITA Scholar Athlete Team. He posted a 9-10 singles record in the top two flights for the Pioneers, while earning All-Conference Second Team accolades.
Paulo dos Santos rounds out this year's honorees on the ITA Scholar Athlete Team. Dos Santos, a junior from Rondania. Brazil, posted an 8-2 record in singles play and went 4-2 in doubles.
The Pioneers posted a 14-5 record and finished third in the South Atlantic Conference last season. It was Tusculum's 10th consecutive winning season and ninth straight for TC Head Coach Tommy Arnett.
Tusculum College, located in Greeneville, Tenn., is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, USA and is a NCAA Division II member of the South Atlantic Conference which is comprised of 10 colleges and universities in Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.
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