TEMPE, Ariz. --- Twelve student-athletes from the Moravian University men's and women's tennis teams have been selected as 2021 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar-Athletes and both the men's and women's squads also received the ITA All-Academic Team award.
Senior Mason Hudnall and sophomores Andrew Hozza and Justin Szaro from the men's team and seniors Brooke Adams, Emma Angle, Mary Angle, Kristen Cassidy and Destiny George, sophomores Julianne Cassady, Maddie Figiel and Cristina Merone and freshman Megan O'Brien from the women' s squad were named ITA Scholar-Athletes with Hudnall, Cassidy and George earning the honor for a fourth consecutive year and Adams, making it for a third straight year. Hozza, Szaro and Merone all received the honor for a second straight year.
For a student-athlete to 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. Thousands of student-athletes across all divisions were honored with ITA Scholar-Athlete status and hundreds of teams earned the ITA All-Academic Team award for maintaining over at least a 3.20 GPA. All varsity letter winners were factored into the cumulative team GPA for the current academic year (including fall 2020 and spring 2021).
Hudnall had a 7-4 mark in singles action this season and he went 6-5 in doubles play while being named to the Landmark Conference Spring Academic Honor Roll and the Landmark Conference Spring All-Sportsmanship Team. Hozza, who also plays on the Greyhounds' golf team, was 8-1 in singles action and 6-3 doubles while Szaro recorded a 4-7 mark in singles and a 5-6 slate in doubles.
"I'm extremely happy that our men's team was honored with both team and individual ITA academic awards," noted Interim Director of Tennis Mariana Freitas. "They are true student-athletes and were able to stay focused and excel in the classroom during an especially challenging academic year."
Emma Angle was named the 2021 Landmark Conference Women's Tennis Athlete of the Year, and she made the Landmark All-Conference First Team in singles and doubles. Mary Angle and Adams each earned Landmark All-Conference First Team in singles and doubles while Cassidy made the All-Conference First Team in doubles. Emma Angle and Adams both had 10-1 singles marks while Cassidy was 9-0 and Mary Angle was 8-3. The Angle sisters were 8-4 in doubles action while Cassidy and Adams were 7-4.
Figiel had a 9-1 singles mark while being selected as the Landmark Conference Tournament's Most Valuable Player as the Greyhounds won the title and eventually won an NCAA Division III Tournament First Round match before finishing the year at 11-1. Cassady was 7-3 in singles action, and she combined with Merone for an 8-3 doubles mark. Figiel and Merone were also 1-0 in doubles play as was the tandem of Adams and Cassady. George, who was selected to the Landmark Conference Spring All-Sportsmanship Team, had a 1-0 mark in singles action for the Greyhounds. Adams, Emma & Mary Angle, Cassidy, George, Cassady, Figiel and Merone were all members of the Landmark Conference Spring Academic Honor Roll.
"I'm very proud of the women's team for earning back-to-back ITA All-Academic honors," commented Freitas. "They put in a ton of work and effort both in the classroom and on the court, and I'm extremely happy that nine of our female student-athletes were recognized as ITA Scholar-Athletes."
To view the entire list of 2021 ITA All-Academic Teams and ITA Scholar-Athletes, visit https://www.wearecollegetennis.com/awards/academic-awards/.
