University of North Texas Athletics
Photo by: Mark Woods
Tennis Crushes It In Classroom Again
5/19/2020 5:16:00 PM | Women's Tennis
DENTON – Half of the North Texas tennis team earned a 4.0 Grade Point Average for the spring semester as the eight-woman team finished with an overall 3.702 GPA.
In total five of the eight women made either the Dean's List (3.5-3.99 GPA) or the President's List 4.0 GPA) with all eight earning above a 3.1 semester GPA.
In his 14 seasons with the Mean Green, head coach Sujay Lama has stressed academics along with on the court success. The program's all-time winningest head coach has also led North Texas to earn Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic team honors for 11 consecutive seasons and for the past three years his teams have received NCAA awards for having an APR score in the top 10 percent of all of division I women's tennis.
The 2020 ITA all-academic honors will be released later in the summer.
As a team the Mean Green (7-7) posted a 43-36 (.544) record in dual match singles this year and an even more impressive 23-14 (.622) record in dual match doubles.
This season, the Mean Green had their season cut short due to COVID-19 but their youth movement led the team to the program's first 5-0 start to a spring season — five of their eight student-athletes were sophomores or younger.
Through their 14 dual matches, sophomore transfer Maria Ponomareva led the team with a 9-4 singles record and in doubles also led the team when paired with junior Nidhi Surapaneni with a 9-3 record. Ponomareva played singles primarily and the No. 2 position where she recorded a 4-3 record. In doubles, she played all her matches with Surapaneni. They only played at the No. 2 position.
The Kansas State transfer went 14-7 overall in the singles in the fall and spring combined. She won seven straight singles matches from Jan. 10 through Feb. 4. In her two-year career, Ponomareva has posted a 22-14 all-time record in singles.
Overall, UNT's newcomers combined to earn 28 of the team's 43 dual match singles victories.
Surapaneni also had a breakout season.
The rising senior had career highs in every statistical category this season. She finished second on the team in dual match singles victories but first in overall singles victories between the fall and spring seasons combined.
In total five of the eight women made either the Dean's List (3.5-3.99 GPA) or the President's List 4.0 GPA) with all eight earning above a 3.1 semester GPA.
In his 14 seasons with the Mean Green, head coach Sujay Lama has stressed academics along with on the court success. The program's all-time winningest head coach has also led North Texas to earn Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic team honors for 11 consecutive seasons and for the past three years his teams have received NCAA awards for having an APR score in the top 10 percent of all of division I women's tennis.
The 2020 ITA all-academic honors will be released later in the summer.
As a team the Mean Green (7-7) posted a 43-36 (.544) record in dual match singles this year and an even more impressive 23-14 (.622) record in dual match doubles.
This season, the Mean Green had their season cut short due to COVID-19 but their youth movement led the team to the program's first 5-0 start to a spring season — five of their eight student-athletes were sophomores or younger.
Through their 14 dual matches, sophomore transfer Maria Ponomareva led the team with a 9-4 singles record and in doubles also led the team when paired with junior Nidhi Surapaneni with a 9-3 record. Ponomareva played singles primarily and the No. 2 position where she recorded a 4-3 record. In doubles, she played all her matches with Surapaneni. They only played at the No. 2 position.
The Kansas State transfer went 14-7 overall in the singles in the fall and spring combined. She won seven straight singles matches from Jan. 10 through Feb. 4. In her two-year career, Ponomareva has posted a 22-14 all-time record in singles.
Overall, UNT's newcomers combined to earn 28 of the team's 43 dual match singles victories.
Surapaneni also had a breakout season.
The rising senior had career highs in every statistical category this season. She finished second on the team in dual match singles victories but first in overall singles victories between the fall and spring seasons combined.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
Friday, May 15
Monday, May 11
Saturday, April 18
Wednesday, April 15