University of North Texas Athletics
Tennis Named ITA All-Academic Again
7/25/2019 3:15:00 PM | Women's Tennis
DENTON — For the 14th year in a row the North Texas tennis team has been named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic Team for boasting a 3.20 or better grade point average.
Additionally, 2018-19 Mean Green senior Maria Kononova, junior Alexandra Heczey and sophomore Nidhi Surapaneni we're named ITA Scholar Athletes for having a 3.50 or better grade point average.
"I am extremely proud of the UNT tennis team for continuing to build upon their ITA Academic Team legacy for the 14th straight year," said North Texas assistant director for academic services Alexis Guess. "The tennis program is surrounded by caring individuals who have provided the guidance and support needed to make this accomplishment possible."
Every season under head coach Sujay Lama the Mean Green have been named an ITA All-Academic Team. And this past year, was honored with the athletic department's highest team GPA award at the end of the year banquet.
This was the third year in a row Kononova was named an ITA Scholar Athlete. Nominees must be at least be a sophomore or older to earn scholar athlete status.
Heczey and Surapaneni are also multi-time scholar athlete earners.
"Nidhi, Alexandra and Maria are very deserving of the ITA Scholar Athlete Award as they have showed the discipline and determination needed to succeed on and off of the court," Guess said.
In May, UNT was recognized by the NCAA for its academic performance, receiving an Academic Progress Rate score in the top 10% in the nation.
The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams. The APR measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or academic term and provides a clear picture of the ongoing academic performance for each team in every sport. All teams must meet an academic threshold of 930 to qualify for the postseason and can face penalties for continued low academic performance. The most recent APRs are multiyear rates based on scores from the 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 academic years. This is the third straight year North Texas has earned a perfect score of 1,000.
At the end of the 2019 season, the Mean Green reached the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament. It was the eighth time in the last 10 years UNT has reached at least the semifinal round. Kononova along with classmate Tamuna Kutubidze earned the program's first trip to the NCAA Doubles Championship. Kononova was also named C-USA All-Academic.
Surapaneni and Heczey will return for their junior and senior seasons, respectively. Kononova earned her undergraduate degree in 2018 and is working towards her masters degree.
Additionally, 2018-19 Mean Green senior Maria Kononova, junior Alexandra Heczey and sophomore Nidhi Surapaneni we're named ITA Scholar Athletes for having a 3.50 or better grade point average.
"I am extremely proud of the UNT tennis team for continuing to build upon their ITA Academic Team legacy for the 14th straight year," said North Texas assistant director for academic services Alexis Guess. "The tennis program is surrounded by caring individuals who have provided the guidance and support needed to make this accomplishment possible."
Every season under head coach Sujay Lama the Mean Green have been named an ITA All-Academic Team. And this past year, was honored with the athletic department's highest team GPA award at the end of the year banquet.
This was the third year in a row Kononova was named an ITA Scholar Athlete. Nominees must be at least be a sophomore or older to earn scholar athlete status.
Heczey and Surapaneni are also multi-time scholar athlete earners.
"Nidhi, Alexandra and Maria are very deserving of the ITA Scholar Athlete Award as they have showed the discipline and determination needed to succeed on and off of the court," Guess said.
In May, UNT was recognized by the NCAA for its academic performance, receiving an Academic Progress Rate score in the top 10% in the nation.
The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams. The APR measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or academic term and provides a clear picture of the ongoing academic performance for each team in every sport. All teams must meet an academic threshold of 930 to qualify for the postseason and can face penalties for continued low academic performance. The most recent APRs are multiyear rates based on scores from the 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 academic years. This is the third straight year North Texas has earned a perfect score of 1,000.
At the end of the 2019 season, the Mean Green reached the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament. It was the eighth time in the last 10 years UNT has reached at least the semifinal round. Kononova along with classmate Tamuna Kutubidze earned the program's first trip to the NCAA Doubles Championship. Kononova was also named C-USA All-Academic.
Surapaneni and Heczey will return for their junior and senior seasons, respectively. Kononova earned her undergraduate degree in 2018 and is working towards her masters degree.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
Friday, May 15
Monday, May 11
Saturday, April 18
Wednesday, April 15