OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss women’s tennis team earned the ITA All-Academic Team Award for the 13th consecutive year, as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced its yearly academic awards Wednesday.
This award honors teams with outstanding academic achievements, requiring a minimum overall 3.2 grade point average to be considered. The Rebels were one of only eight teams in the nation, including three from the Southeastern Conference, to earn this award and finish in the Top 25 last season.
Ole Miss ended the year ranked No. 21 in the nation and advanced to the NCAA Championships second round. The Rebels defeated five Top 25 teams in the SEC and reached the semifinals at the conference tournament. Rising sophomore Kristi Boxx and junior Karen Nijssen led the team, earning a final national ranking of No. 12 in doubles, while Boxx ended the year ranked 37th in singles.
“We are very proud of the team for this accomplishment,” head coach Mark Beyers said. “Being a student-athlete means succeeding in the classroom as well as on the court (or field). It’s a tremendous achievement to be among a select few teams to finish in the Top 25 and earn this distinction. Our players are extremely dedicated on and off the court.”
The ITA also announced individual honors with upcoming junior Laura van de Stroet and sophomore Gabriela Rangel earning recognition as ITA Scholar-Athletes. Rangel completed her freshman year with a 3.90 GPA in International Studies, while van de Stroet owns a 3.88 GPA in Marketing.
To be eligible for ITA Scholar-Athlete recognition student-athletes must have a GPA of 3.50 or higher for the year.