The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Eleven Blazers Named ITA Scholar Athletes
8/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
SKILLMAN, N.J. – Eleven UAB tennis players were named Scholar-Athletes on Friday by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).
In order to earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status a player must meet the following criteria: Be a varsity letter winner, have a grade-point average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year, and have been enrolled at their present school for at least two semesters (including freshman through senior year).
The UAB women’s tennis team, who holds a cumulative GPA of 3.73, was represented by Sophie Dodds, Pardis Kianoush, Amy Lowther, Catherine Ragon, McKenna Root and Elaine Simon.
“We are very proud that so many girls from our team were recognized for their hard work and success in the classroom,” women’s tennis head coach Mark Tjia said. “This is also a testament to our academic staff and the support that our student-athletes receive from them.”
Simon and Lowther, who both graduated from UAB in the spring with degrees in biology, have continued their education. Simon is currently in a 1-year postgraduate program at UAB while Lowther is in medical school in Tampa.
On the men’s side, Marlon Goering, Kenton Parton, Luiz Pinto, Oliver Poysti and Stephan Vancurik all posted GPA’s above 3.5 to earn the award.
Goering, a sophomore, holds a perfect 4.0, while Vancurik, who has earned a 3.82 GPA, led the Blazers with 12 doubles victories in 2016 with Eric Komati.
“We are extremely proud of our student-athletes who earned the prestigious ITA Scholar Athlete award,” head men’s tennis coach Derek Tarr added. “It took a lot of dedication and perseverance.”
The men’s team opens up its fall season on September 23 at the MTSU Invitational while the women’s team heads to the Midland Intercollegiate on September 16 to begin its 2016-17 campaign.
Full Men’s List Full Women’s List
Players Mentioned
