TEMPE, Ariz. – For the third straight season the Cleveland State men's tennis team was honored by the ITA for their work in the classroom, as they were named a 2020 ITA All-Academic Team. In addition, six Vikings were also named ITA Scholar-Athletes for the 2019-20 academic year.

"The team has established a culture of prioritizing academics, and that is definitely apparent with this academic recognition from the ITA," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "I'm proud of their accomplishments on the court this season, and more so in the classroom. Despite the shortened season, we had success on the court and in the classroom, and we are all looking forward to continuing this and picking up where we left off next year."

For the 2019-20 academic year, the Vikings posted a team grade point average of 3.615, and were one of four Horizon League teams to pick up ITA All-Academic Team honors. Last month, the Vikings represented Cleveland State with the highest men's team GPA, earning the Horizon League's Raise Your Sights Award.

Individually, Nico Mostardi, Luke Phillips, Raul Teichmann, Matthew Terry, Noah Cenkner, and Kade Mindry earned ITA Scholar-Athlete honors, marking just the second time in program history that six Vikings have earned the accolade in the same season. Mostardi picked up Scholar-Athlete honors for the fourth straight year, while Phillips, Teichmann and Terry were all named to the list for the second time in their CSU careers.

On the court, the Vikings finished the shortened 2020 spring campaign with a 6-6 record – playing one of their most competitive schedules to-date – and were poised to capture their third straight #HLMTEN Tournament title before the season was cancelled. Mostardi and Terry both finished the year ranked in the top-10 on the CSU Singles Wins List – Mostardi ranking fourth with 84 career wins and Terry ranking eighth with 77 career victories.

In order to earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status, a player must have a grade point average of at least 3.50 for the current academic year and be listed on the institutional eligibility form. 

The ITA All-Academic Team award is open to any ITA program that has a cumulative team grade point average of 3.20 or above.