AUSTIN, Texas --- Four Tusculum University student-athletes have been named to the NCAA Division II Academic All-District® 3 Women's Tennis first team as selected by the College Sports Communicators.
Earning Academic All-District® honors for the Pioneers are: Elodie Baechler, Paulina Loretz, Valentina Loretz and Johanna Palacio.
The 2024 Academic All-District® Women's Tennis Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom.
District 3 is comprised of colleges and universities representing the South Atlantic Conference, Peach Belt Conference and Conference Carolinas. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher, must be at least a sophomore and be in lineup for 70 percent of the total matches played by the team that includes team scores.
Baechler, a junior from La Rippe, Switzerland, has a cumulative GPA of 3.981 while majoring in sport management and earns Academic All-District® laurels for a second straight year. She is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, President's List, Dean's List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and the Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll.
She earned All-SAC first team honors in singles and was a second team selection in doubles, both this spring. She posted a 15-6 singles record including 6-4 in SAC play at the top two flights and went 14-11 in doubles this year. She has a career singles record of 42-36 and 41-39 in doubles. She is a three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete and a two-time recipient of the Division II Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award.
Paulina Loretz, a senior from San Mateo Atenco, Mexico, has a 3.800 GPA while majoring in marketing. She earns Academic All-District® for a second consecutive season and is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List.
In 2024, she earned All-SAC second team honors in singles where she went 15-9 overall and 8-3 in league action. She improves her career singles record to an impressive 62-38 and ended the season with a four-match winning streak. She is a three-time ITA Scholar Athlete and three-time D2ADA Academic Achievement Award recipient.
Valentina Loretz, a senior from San Mateo Atenco, Mexico, has a 3.700 GPA as a political science major and becomes a two-time Academic All-District® selection. She is a member of the Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll.
This past spring, she garnered All-SAC second team plaudits in both singles and doubles competition. Valentina went 17-9 overall in singles including 8-3 in SAC play. She and Baechler went 14-11 in doubles play, mostly at the No. 1 position. For her career, Valentina has a 61-27 singles record and won eight of her last nine contests including four in a row to wrap up the season. She has earned ITA Scholar Athlete honors the last four years and is a multi-time recipient of the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award.
Palacio, a native of Mar del Plata, Argentina, graduated from Tusculum earlier this month with her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration while earning summa cum laude honors. She finished with a perfect 4.000 GPA majoring in business administration. She is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, President's List, Dean's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. She is a member of the College of Business Honor Society and Alpha Chi Honor Society. Last month, she was presented the Walter R. Johnson Award by the College of Business.
Palacio went 14-8 in singles play including 6-4 in SAC competition, splitting time and the fourth, fifth and sixth flights in the TU lineup. She improved her career singles record to 33-22 and is a four-time ITA Scholar Athlete and a recipient of the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award.
Tusculum finished the year with a 14-8 overall record including 8-4 in SAC action. TU finished fourth in the conference standings and advanced to the SAC quarterfinal.
The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes tennis honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced this summer.
The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2023-2024 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs.
