By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – There's no question that the Tennessee Tech tennis team was a strong one on the court.
But after the Intercollegiate Tennis Association released its Division I men's All-Academic Teams, it showed the Golden Eagles are strong academically as well.
Tech was awarded one of the ITA's All-Academic Team awards, which is presented to schools that have a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or above (on a 4.0 scale).
"It is an honor and all are outstanding on the court and in the classroom," said Tech tennis head coach Kenny Doyle. "I'm very proud of them all."
Four Tech players – Marcos Bernardes, Alberto Esteban, Gagan Jain, Carlos Tajes – were named to the list of ITA Scholar Athletes.
In order to be named to the ITA Scholar Athletes list, the student-athlete must have been a varsity letter winner, have a grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) and have been at their school for at least two semesters.
The ITA is the governing body of college tennis, overseeing men's and women's varsity tennis for NCAA Divisions I, II and II, NAIA and junior/community college.
On the court this past season, Bernardes went 14-4 in singles, 8-7 in doubles. Esteban was 21-12 in singles play, 12-13 in doubles. Jain went 0-2 in singles and doubles play, while Tajes went 12-11 in singles, 1-8 in doubles.
The team won the Ohio Valley Conference tournament and reached the NCAA Tournament, falling to Ohio State.
