WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – After the first Commonwealth Conference title in school history, the Lycoming College men’s tennis team added another impressive accolade to its growing list of honors, as it is one of 37 teams in NCAA Division III that have earned ITA All-Academic Team honors. In addition, five of the team’s players, junior Alex Beattie (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport Area), freshman David Brown (Montoursville, Pa./Montoursville), junior Robert Brown (Montoursville, Pa./Montoursville), freshman Jason Mifsud (Montoursville, Pa./Montoursville) and junior Phillip Shannon (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area), picked up ITA Scholar-Athlete status.
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 team's roster and have competed in one or more varsity matches were included in the team GPA. In order to earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status a player must 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.
The Lycoming men's tennis team was as brilliant in the classroom as it was on the court where it captured the first Commonwealth Conference championship in school history. Three of the team’s members, Beattie, Robert Brown and Shannon, earned Middle Atlantic Conference Academic Honor Roll honors, as all three carry cumulative GPAs of better than 3.9, led by Beattie’s 3.988 GPA as a philosophy major.
Lycoming is the only school in the Commonwealth Conference or the MAC that has earned the award so far. The Warriors’ five members on Scholar-Athlete squad is also the highest total in the MAC.
Beattie, who was a First Team All-Commonwealth Conference selection, concluded his season with an overall record of 12-2, going 10-1 during dual matches and was named the Commonwealth Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player. In the 2010 Middle Atlantic Conference Individual Tournament, Beattie advanced to the finals before falling to champion Michael Capozzi of Manhattanville College. Beattie was named the Conference’s Player of the Week and the College’s Warrior of the Week on Monday, May 5.
Robert Brown, a junior astronomy/physics major with a 3.986 GPA, finished with an overall record of 6-8 in the first flight of singles, going 3-3 in his Commonwealth matches while earning first team all-conference honors. He partnered with brother, David Brown, and went 12-3 in the second flight of doubles, including 5-0 in Commonwealth matches.
David Brown enjoyed a solid rookie campaign, as he posted a 12-1 overall record, including perfect 12-0 marks at No. 4 singles and 6-0 in Commonwealth Conference play. In doubles play, he added a 12-3 mark at No. 2 with brother, Robert, also notching a 5-0 mark in Commonwealth matches.
Mifsud went 12-3 in his rookie campaign, including a 10-2 mark in dual matches. During the individual meet, he advanced to the finals in the third flight, falling to eventual champion and Freedom Conference first-team honoree, Jeremy Nolt of Wilkes University.
Shannon, who carries a 3.937 GPA in philosophy and marketing, also enjoyed a successful campaign as he posted a 7-6 overall singles record, including a 7-5 mark at No. 5 singles. In doubles play, Shannon finished 6-8 overall at the No. 3 slot.
Lycoming finished the 2010 season 10-3 overall and a 5-1 in the Commonwealth Conference before winning the school's first men’s tennis title. The Warriors open their 2010-11 season on Sept. 19 when they head to Scranton for a 1 p.m. match.
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – For the second year in a row, the Lycoming College women’s tennis team earned the highest academic honor in collegiate tennis, as it is one of 75 teams in NCAA Division III that have earned ITA All-Academic Team honors. In addition, three of the team’s players, senior Erica Niemann (Taylor, Mich./John F. Kennedy), sophomore Abigail Petritsch (South Plainfield, N.J./Bishop George) and senior Amiee Snyder (Kempton, Pa./Kutztown), picked up ITA Scholar-Athlete status.
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 team's roster and have competed in one or more varsity matches were included in the team GPA. In order to earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status a player must 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.
Five of the team’s members, Petritsch, Niemann, Snyder, sophomore Renee Herrick (Middlesex, Pa./Middlesex) and junior Kathryn Walker (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion), earned Middle Atlantic Conference Academic Honor Roll honors, as all five carry cumulative GPAs of better than 3.4, led by Snyder’s 3.84 GPA as a political science major.
Lycoming is the only school in the Commonwealth Conference that has earned the award so far, with Wilkes the only other team in the MAC to have earned the award this season. The Warriors also have a history with the award, earning it in four of the last five seasons.
Petritsch earned her second ITA Scholar-Athlete honors thanks to her 3.672 GPA as an archaeology/culture of ancient Near East major. Petritsch earned a slot anywhere from No. 3 to No. 6 in the lineup, also playing at the No. 3 doubles slot twice.
Niemann, who graduated with a 3.511 GPA as an archaeology/philosophy major, earned her first ITA Scholar-Athlete honors after playing primarily at No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles for the Lady Warriors.
Snyder, a political science major, collected her third ITA Scholar-Athlete honors, as the senior finished her career by topping the Warriors’ singles and doubles’ lineups. Snyder also earned the award as a freshman in 2007 and as a junior in 2009.
Lycoming finished the 2009 season 1-9 overall. The Warriors open their 2010-11 season on Sept. 15 when they head to Susquehanna for a 4 p.m. match.