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Women’s Tennis Picks Up ITA Academic Honors

Women’s Tennis Picks Up ITA Academic Honors
Posted: Jul 25, 2017

TEMPE, Ariz. – For the fourth straight year, the Cleveland State women's tennis team has been honored for their academic success, as the Vikings were named an ITA All-Academic Team, while a trio of players also picked up ITA Scholar-Athlete accolades.

As a team, the Vikings posted a grade point average of 3.414 for the 2016-17 academic year, earning ITA All-Academic Team honors for the 11th time under head coach Brian Etzkin. Cleveland State was one of five Horizon League teams to pick up ITA All-Academic Team honors, joining IUPUI, Oakland, Wright State and Youngstown State.

"Victoria, Blanche and Jana all did a great job on the court and in the classroom this season, but it's even better to earn a team honor for our academic performance," Etzkin said. "We always put a big emphasis on academics and to see the hard work pay off for the entire team is wonderful. This was definitely a special team, and to see them all succeeding on and off the court means a lot to me as a coach."

The three Vikings to be awarded ITA Scholar-Athlete honors were Victoria Bensimon, Blanche Lenoan and Jana Schober. All three honorees were named to the Cleveland State Dean's List following both the fall and spring semesters last year, and also earned CSU Athletic Academic Honors.

Bensimon, who was Cleveland State's nominee for the Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Spring award, picked up ITA Scholar-Athlete honors for the third time in her Cleveland State career after posting a 3.70 GPA for the 2016-17 academic year. In May, Bensimon graduated with a degree in psychology and health sciences, finishing her undergraduate career with a 3.54 cumulative GPA.

Schober also picked up her third ITA Scholar-Athlete honor, earning the accolade every year of her Cleveland State career. For the 2016-17 academic year, Schober posted a 3.78 GPA while pursuing a degree in operations and supply chain management.

Playing in her first season of collegiate tennis, Lenoan posted the team's highest grade point average for the 2016-17 academic year, earning a 3.82 GPA in civil engineering.

This marks the fifth straight season that the Vikings have had at least three student-athletes earn ITA Scholar-Athlete accolades and the 10th season overall during Etzkin's tenure.

In order to earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status, a player must meet the following criteria: 1) be a varsity letterwinner, 2) have a grade point average of at least 3.50 for the current academic year, and 3) have been enrolled at their present school for at least two semesters.

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 for the current academic year.