Women's Tennis Team Earns ITA All-Academic Team Honors for 12th Straight Year; 4 Greyhounds Named ITA Scholar-Athletes
SKILLMAN, N.J. --- For the 12th consecutive year, the Moravian College women’s tennis team has been named an All-Academic Team by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, and four student-athlete rising seniors Olivia Sonnabend, Erica Venuti and Katie Zien and sophomore-to-be Courtnie Lambert earned ITA Scholar-Athlete honors.
SKILLMAN, N.J. --- For the 12th consecutive year, the Moravian College women's tennis team has been named an All-Academic Team by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, and four student-athlete rising seniors Olivia Sonnabend, Erica Venuti and Katie Zien and sophomore-to-be Courtnie Lambert earned ITA Scholar-Athlete honors.
The ITA All-Academic Team award is open to any ITA program that has a cumulative team grade point average of 3.20 or above (on a 4.00 scale). All eligible student-athletes whose names appear on the NCAA/NAIA eligibility form and have competed in one or more matches are averaged into the cumulative grade point average for the current year (including fall 2012 and spring 2013).
The Moravian women are one of 82 NCAA Division III women's teams to win the ITA All-Academic Team award and one of two Landmark Conference women's team honored.
For a student-athlete to earn ITA Scholar-Athlete honors, they must maintain at least a 3.50 GPA, earn a varsity letter and be enrolled for at least two semesters. Nearly 500 NCAA Division III female student-athletes were honored.
"Being named an ITA All-Academic Team again and having ITA Scholar-Athletes is as important to me as winning the Conference Championship," stated Head Coach Dawn Ketterman-Benner. "My players are true champions on and off the court."
Venuti earned a spot on the 2013 Landmark All-Conference First Team in doubles as she posted a 9-3 mark with a 7-2 slate as part of Moravian's top doubles team with Melissa Follett. Venuti, who was 10-9 in singles action and 7-6 at third singles last season, earned All-Conference honors for the second straight season after being on the All-Conference Second Team in doubles in 2012.
Zien missed the fall portion of the 2012-13 season while studying abroad but she returned in the spring to post a 6-3 record at second singles with a 3-3 mark in Landmark matches and earn a spot on the Landmark All-Conference Second Team. Zien, who was on the All-Conference First Team in doubles in 2011-12 year, also had a 6-3 record in doubles this past spring, and Zien has a career singles mark of 28-17 for the Greyhounds.
Sonnabend had an 11-5 record in doubles last season including a 4-2 mark with Zien at second doubles. Sonnabend was 5-6 at sixth singles for the Greyhounds.
Lambert posted a 9-7 singles record in her debut season that included a 7-6 mark at fifth singles. Lambert was also 7-6 in doubles action during the year.
To view the entire 2012-13 NCAA Division III Women's All-Academic Teams and ITA Scholar-Athletes, visit http://www.itatennis.com/AwardsAndRankings/Academic-Awards/2013/2013_Women_DIII_AcademicAwards.htm.
