Aug. 9, 2011

ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis women's tennis has been named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic team for the 2010-11 academic year, and seven Billikens have earned ITA Scholar-Athlete plaudits.

The Billikens achieved a department-best 3.79 team grade point average last year, easily surpassing the minimum 3.2 required for the ITA All-Academic award. SLU is among 109 NCAA Division I teams to garner the award and one of just three Atlantic 10 Conference programs to be recognized.

Hailee Elmore, Caitlin McKenna, Casey Miller, Sarah Septien, Mia Elmore and Stephanie Hollis collected ITA Scholar-Athlete accolades, awarded to student-athletes who registered at least a 3.5 GPA for the entire academic year. Saint Louis was one of only 19 Division I women's tennis programs, and the only A-10 team, to place at least six student-athletes on the list. Patrick Kella of the Billiken men's team also was named an ITA Scholar-Athlete.

"In addition to enjoying a spectacular season on the court by placing second at the A-10 Championship, the 2010-11 Billiken women's tennis team again showed remarkable consistency and achievement in the classroom," head coach Jonathan Zych said. "Being selected an ITA All-Academic team is a reward our players earned. This team showcases what college athletics is all about - the success of student-athletes in a team environment."