SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) recently announced its All-Academic Teams as well as its Scholar-Athletes for the 2015-16 season. Eight members of the Lyons squad were recognized, while the program was honored for the 13th straight season. It also marked the 14th time in the last 15 years that the team has earned All-Academic honors.
Individually, eight student-athletes were named 2016 Scholar-Athletes by the organization. All have shown remarkable dedication to not only honing their craft in their sport, but also in the classroom. Six of this year's selections are receiving ITA honors for the first time.
Senior captain Michelle Cai (Hong Kong, China/St. Paul's Co-Educational College) posted her fourth straight Scholar-Athlete honor by the ITA to lead the way. During the 2015-16 season, she went 13-9 overall record in singles, including a 4-3 mark against NEWMAC opponents.
Rising senior Amy Chen (Hilo, Hawaii/Hilo), who earned her second ITA honor, owned a 4-1 mark in singles action last season. In addition to going 4-3 against conference opponents, she also achieved a solid 18-9 overall record in doubles action. Classmate Katherine Schumacher (Baldwinsville, N.Y./Charles W. Baker) was 1-1 overall in singles last season. She also earned her second straight ITA Scholar-Athlete recognition.
Among this year's first time honorees was senior captain Margaux Holloschutz (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Saddle River Day School), who was 11-11 overall with a 12-10 doubles mark. Rising sophomore Madison Rosen (Portland, Ore./Grant) had a strong rookie campaign in 2015-16, going 12-10 in doubles, while rising junior Ishita Tibrewal (Kolkata, India/Modern High School for Girls) was 10-7 overall and 5-2 in NEWMAC singles action.
Rounding out this year's selections were rising sophomores Clara Wang (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) and Ayame Yazawa (Tokyo, Japan/St. Johnsbury Academy (Vt.). Wang went 10-7 overall in her rookie season, while Yazawa was 13-8 overall from the first singles spot.
The Lyons posted a 14-9 record during the 2015-16 campaign, going 5-3 in NEWMAC play. The squad defeated Wheaton in the conference quarterfinals, advancing to the NEWMAC Semifinals for the second straight season and the sixth time in program history, falling to eventual champion MIT.
In order to earn Scholar-Athlete status, a student-athlete must be a varsity letter recipient, have a grade point average of at least 3.50 for the current academic year and have been enrolled at their institution for at least two semesters. To qualify as an All-Academic Team, a program must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.20.
