Gamecocks Impress With ITA Academic Awards
All Nine Team Members Named ITA Scholar-Athletes
COLUMBIA, S.C. — All nine members of the South Carolina women’s tennis team were recognized as ITA Scholar-Athletes by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Monday, and the team was named an ITA All-Academic Team for the seventh year in a row.
The Gamecocks typically see more than half of their roster earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status, but today’s announcement marks the first time in school history an entire squad received the nod. Nine honorees (Silvia Chinellato, Kendall Couch, Ana Cruz, Megan Davies, Mia Horvit, Gabriela Martinez, Elise Mills, Emma Shelton, Kennedy Wicker) in one season is also a school-best, beating the previous mark of eight set in 2014.
“We are excited that our student-athletes were able to perform so well given the unconventional semester everyone had,” head coach Kevin Epley said. “This is a testament to their hard work and to the dedication of our academic support staff over at the Dodie. They stayed patient and flexible with all our needs throughout.”
Chinellato picked up her fourth ITA Scholar-Athlete award, making her one of just five Gamecocks to pick up the accolade four times. Davies and Wicker have now received the award three times, while the remaining six Gamecocks all received their first academic awards from the ITA.
A student-athlete must have at least a 3.5 grade point average for the academic year to receive the ITA Scholar-Athlete award, and a team must have a 3.2 GPA for the team award.
