SKILLMAN, N.J. --- The 2011-12 Moravian College women's tennis team has been named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic Team for the 11th consecutive year while the men's team also earned the honor for 2011-12.
Three of the Greyhound women's individual players, sophomores Olivia Sonnabend (King of Prussia, Pa./Delaware County Christian HS), Erica Venuti (Sewell, N.J./Washington Township HS) and Katie Zien (West Suffield, Conn./Suffield HS) earned ITA Scholar-Athlete honors for maintaining at least a 3.50 GPA, earning a varsity letter and being enrolled for at least two semesters. Over 1,500 student-athletes were honored.
From the Moravian men's squad, seniors David Chan (Macau, China/The Phelps School {Pa.}) and Kevin Holze (Bayside, N.Y./St. Francis Prep HS), junior Brad Kutcha (Midland Park, N.J./Midland Park HS) and freshman Lewis Cooper (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford HS) 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 2011 and spring 2012).
A total of 391 men's and women's teams from NCAA schools earned the ITA All-Academic Award, while 38 men's and women's programs from NAIA schools and nine junior college programs were honored with the largest number, 101 programs, coming from the NCAA Division I women's programs.
The Moravian women are one of 85 NCAA Division III women's teams to win the ITA All-Academic Team award and one of three Landmark Conference women's team honored. On the men's side, the Greyhounds were one of 47 NCAA Division III teams and the only Landmark Conference institution honored.
Zien earned a spot on the Landmark All-Conference First Team in doubles after a 9-2 mark at first doubles and an undefeated record in Landmark Conference matches, and Zien was 12-4 in singles action. Venuti earned a spot on the Landmark All-Conference Second Team in doubles with a 7-2 slate at second doubles, and she added a 9-9 singles record. Sonnabend had a 5-8 singles mark this past season for the Greyhounds as Moravian made its 19th consecutive postseason appearance.
Holze was named to the Landmark All-Conference First Team in both singles and doubles after posting records of 10-3 in singles and 10-4 in doubles. Holze finished his career tied for second in school history with 50 career wins while holding the school record with 43 doubles victories. Chan was 5-9 in singles this past season while Kutcha had a 7-7 singles slate. Cooper posted an 8-5 singles record and a 7-7 doubles mark in his first year with the program as the Moravian men made their sixth straight postseason appearance.
Moravian's women begin the 2012-13 season on Saturday, September 8th as the Greyhounds host a four-team tournament at Lehigh University's Goodman Campus. The men are scheduled to begin the season on Sunday, September 9th at the Muhlenberg College Invitational.
