Sept. 2, 2004

COLUMBIA, S.C. –
The South Carolina men’s tennis team achieved the highest grade point average amongst all Gamecock men’s teams for the 2003-2004 academic year. The team’s 3.438 GPA was second only to the Lady Gamecocks golf team (3.493) for highest among all Carolina varsity athletic programs. The team had seven of eight members on the Dean’s List for the Spring 2004 semester. Additionally, Carolina placed seven members on the 2003-2004 SEC Honor Roll.

Head coach Kent DeMars says the academic excellence starts before the student-athletes ever enroll in school. “It all starts with recruiting good student-athletes,” says the veteran USC coach, “once they get here we let the Academic Enrichment Center (AEC) take over. Team members are required to spend at least eight hours in the AEC each week; on the computer, in study hall, or in tutoring sessions.”

Coach DeMars knows that the team’s success isn’t always measured in wins and losses, “I would love to have everyone play professional tennis, but more importantly we want to have everyone graduate. We tell the parents that we’re going to make sure their sons get a good degree in addition to making them better tennis players.”

The Gamecocks’ fall season begins on October 1, 2004 with the North Carolina Fall Classic in Chapel Hill, NC. The schedule includes three additional tournaments including the October 15-17 South Carolina Fall Invitational in Columbia, SC.