Portions of story courtesy of wearecollegetennis.com
GILBERT, Ariz. – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced its 2026 Division II Men's and Women's ITA Scholar-Athletes and All-Academic Teams.
Academia is an integral aspect of the college tennis experience and adds to the unique student-athlete experience found on college campuses across the nation. Within the sport of tennis, student-athletes continue to exceed expectations in the classroom and on the court.
In 2026, 548 Division II Men and 649 Women student-athletes (1,197 total) were named ITA Scholar-Athletes, and 70 Men's and 95 Women's (165 total) tennis programs were awarded the All-Academic Team distinction.
To be named an ITA Scholar-Athlete, one must meet the following requirements:
- Have a grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year
- Be listed on the institutional eligibility form
To be named an ITA All-Academic Team, programs must meet the following requirements:
- Have a team grade point average of 3.2 or above (on a 4.00 scale),
- All student-athletes included should be listed on the institutional eligibility form, and
- All varsity letter winners should be factored into the cumulative team GPA for the current academic year
Both of McKendree's men's and women's tennis programs qualified for ITA All-Academic Team status with collective team efforts in the classroom. In addition, 21 individual Bearcats – 12 men and nine women – have collected ITA Scholar-Athlete status for their hard work.
Full list of ITA Scholar-Athletes honorees for McKendree:
MEN'S TENNIS
WOMEN'S TENNIS
ABOUT THE INTERCOLLEGIATE TENNIS ASSOCIATION (ITA)
Originally founded in 1956 by the legendary UCLA men's tennis coach, J. D. Morgan, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is the governing body of college tennis, overseeing men's and women's varsity tennis at all levels – NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College. Officially incorporated in 1978 as the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association (ITCA), for over the past four decades the ITA has worked hard to achieve its charter goals: (1) "To foster and encourage the playing of intercollegiate tennis in accordance with the highest tradition of sportsmanship and consistent with the general objectives of higher education." (2) "To develop among the intercollegiate coaches a deeper sense of responsibility in teaching, promoting, maintaining, and conducting the game of tennis." And, (3) "To educate and serve those individuals and groups who are involved in collegiate tennis: junior and college players, their coaches and parents, and the at-large tennis public."
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