TEMPE, Ariz. – The San Diego State women's tennis team was named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic Team for the 2020 season, the association announced Monday. The Aztecs were one of just 244 NCAA Division I women's tennis programs to earn the distinction for excellence in the classroom.
To be named an ITA All-Academic Team, programs must have a team grade point average (GPA) of 3.2-or-above, factoring in all varsity letter winners for the current academic year.
Additionally, the Aztecs saw sophomore Alicia Melosch, junior Tamara Arnold, and senior Mia Smith named ITA Scholar-Athletes for the 2020 season, individually earning a GPA of at least 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) for the current academic year.
"I am really proud of my team being honored by the ITA again for their academic excellence," noted head coach Peter Mattera. "These women represent the University and Aztec Tennis in such a positive light. I am especially proud of how this team adjusted this past spring to distance learning halfway through the semester and still saw such great success."
While the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Aztec women's tennis team made a splash in 2019-20. The Aztecs garnered four all-Mountain West conference honors for the 2019-20 season. Arnold and junior Nnena Nadozie collected nods to the all-conference singles team, the duo of freshman Julia Jordan and Arnold were honored as an all-conference doubles team and freshman Cecile Morin was named Co-Mountain West Freshman of the Year.
Smith, a four-year letterwinner for the Aztecs, graduated this past May with a degree in Economics. While on The Mesa, Smith accumulated a 19-32 record in singles play, seeing time at all six positions throughout her four-year career. The Tunbridge Wells, England native earned Academic All-MW distinction each year of her collegiate campaign.
Arnold saw great success in her first year as an Aztec after spending the beginning of her collegiate career at Oklahoma State University. The junior amassed a 6-3 record in singles play, competing in both the No. 1 and 2 positions, and a 7-3 record in doubles action with partner Julia Jordan. Arnold went 1-1 against ranked opponents throughout the short 2019-20 season, topping No. 44 Eryn Cayetano (USC) 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-1 for the Aztecs' only ranked singles win of the 2020 spring season. She was named to the Mountain West All-Academic Team and earned Scholar-Athlete distinction from the conference for her academic efforts in 2019-20.
Melosch captured a 6-4 singles record as the Aztecs' staple at the No. 3 position while totaling a 3-5 record in doubles action, seeing time partnering with both Nadozie and Jordan. Melosch was named to the Mountain West All-Academic Team for the second consecutive year and earned Scholar-Athlete laurels from the conference for her academic prowess in 2019-20.