Gamecocks Earn ITA Academic Honors

July 22, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina men’s tennis was named an ITA All-Academic Team for the fifth-straight season, and a pair of Gamecocks earned ITA Scholar-Athlete status, the organization announced Thursday. Redshirt sophomore Thomas Mayronne was named an ITA Scholar-Athlete for the second time in as many seasons, while junior Alex Fennell also earned the distinction.

To earn ITA All-Academic Team honors, a team must have a cumulative team grade point average (GPA) of 3.20 or higher for the current academic year. The Scholar-Athlete award goes to individuals who have a GPA of at least 3.50 for the current academic year and have been enrolled at their present school for at least two semesters.

Mayronne finished second on the team in dual-match wins as he compiled a 15-10 overall. The Monroe, La., native was also named to the 2016 SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll, the SEC Community Service Team and as the President of the South Carolina Student-Athlete Committee.

Fennell, in his first year with the Garnet and Black, finished third on the team in singles wins with a 25-15 mark and 14-12 dual-match record while being named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll. Fennell and Mayronne competed in doubles as a tandem in spots throughout the year and were ranked as high as No. 69 in the country.

With a roster consisting of mostly sophomores and juniors, South Carolina closed out a tough campaign with a 14-15 record. The Gamecocks peaked at the right time as they earned a pair of top-20 victories in the final weeks of the season and climbed to No. 45 in the final ITA rankings. Carolina remained focus on the process over the outcomes over the course of the season and Mayronne and Fennell played pivotal roles in helping the squad build into one of the most dangerous teams in the country by season’s end.

South Carolina was one of five SEC teams to earn All-Academic honors this season, while five other programs had individual Scholar-Athletes recognized.