Hamner Achieves Academic All-America Status

Columbia, S.C. – ­South Carolina women’s tennis sophomore Sarah Hamner became the program’s second ever Academic All-American on Thursday. The College Sports Communicators announced their Women’s Tennis Academic All-America Teams with Hamner on the Third Team.

The Academic All-America Teams aim to recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined work athletically and academically.

Hamner, a two-year letter winner for the Gamecocks, completed her season with a 19-12 overall record in singles and a 22-11 record in doubles. She became an ITA Doubles All-American alongside partner Ayana Akli after the duo advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Doubles Championships. The pair had originally entered the draw as fifth alternates.

During the 2022-23 season, Hamner also became the program’s first ITA Carolina Region Singles Champion since 1988 by taking down the reigning regional champ in the title match.

After battling back from an early spring injury, Hamner earned seven singles wins in dual play with five of them over SEC opponents and was named to the All-SEC First Team for her efforts.

Hamner has also had success in the classroom throughout her career, being named an ITA Scholar-Athlete in 2022 and making her way onto the 2022 SEC Academic Honor Roll, as well as inking her name on the CSC Academic-All District Team in 2023.

The sophomore is just the second player in program history to earn this distinguished honor. She is preceded by Helen Crook who was named to the First Team in 1994. Hamner is one of just three SEC student-athletes to represent the conference on the Academic All-America Teams.

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