2017-18 ALL-ACADEMIC TEAMS & SCHOLAR ATHLETES
SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) recently announced its All-Academic Teams as well as its Scholar-Athletes for the 2017-18 season. Seven members of the Lyons squad were recognized, while the program was honored for the 15th straight season. It also marked the 16th time in the last 17 years that the team has earned All-Academic honors.
Individually, seven student-athletes were named 2018 Scholar-Athletes by the organization. Leading the way was 2018 graduate and captain Katherine Schumacher (Baldwinsville, N.Y./Charles W. Baker), who took home Scholar-Athlete honors for the four straight season. During the 2017-18 campaign, she posted a 2-2 record in singles action, while also achieveing the same mark in doubles play. Fellow graduate and 2017-18 captain Ishita Tibrewal (Kolkata, India/Modern High School for Girls) garnered her third straight recognition, finishing the season with a 5-10 overall record in singles. She also went on to post a 7-12 record in doubles action, including a 6-11 mark from the top spot in the lineup.
Rising senior Clara Wang (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) also earned ITA honors for the third time. This past season, Wang posted 6-11 mark in singles, while also boasting a 4-4 record during doubles action. Ching-Ching Huang (Lukang Townships, Taiwan/Taipei Municipal First Girls' HS) and Catherine Peabody (San Francisco, Calif./Lick-Wilmerding) - both set for their junior year this fall - along with rising senior Joy Maran (Santa Fe, N.M./Santa Fe Prep) were all tabbed for the second straight season. Huang posted an 8-10 mark as the Lyons #1 in singles. She also posted a 6-11 record in #1 doubles with Tibrewal. Peabody notched the squad's best singles mark with a 12-6 overall record, including a 6-2 margin against NEWMAC opponents. The 2018 NEWMAC All-Conference Second Team Singles selection also had an outstanding 13-5 record in second doubles. Maran finished the season with a 2-1 singles mark, also adding a 7-9 record in doubles.
Rounding out the Lyons' honorees for the year was rising sophomore Anya Gerasimova (Salem, Ore./West Salem), who earned her first ITA honor after going 9-8 in singles. She also paired with Peabody to post an outstanding 13-5 mark in second doubles.
Under the direction of 25th-year head coach Aldo Santiago, the Lyons posted an 8-11 record during the 2017-18 campaign, going 5-3 in NEWMAC play. The squad earned a spot in the conference quarterfinals for the 15th straight season. Despite a tough battle, MHC shouldered a 5-4 loss to Wheaton - whom they'd faced in the conference quarterfinals each of the past four seasons.
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.
