SANTA CRUZ, Ca. - The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) honored the UC Santa Cruz men's and women's tennis teams both as a team and individually for achievement in the classroom this year. Both squads were named ITA All-Academic Teams while 15 student-athletes earned ITA Scholar-Athlete honors with 10 on the women's side and five on the men's side.

"We're incredibly proud of the hard work these student-athletes put in on and off the court," said UC Santa Cruz men's tennis head coach Ross Pytko. "Balancing rigorous academics and competitive athletics is no easy feat, and this recognition is a testament to their discipline and character."

The ITA All-Academic Team award is given to any ITA program with a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher on a 4.00 scale, with all varsity letter winners contributing to the team GPA. To be named an ITA Scholar-Athlete, a student-athlete must have a grade point average of at least 3.5.

In 2025, 1,269 Division III women's student-athletes were named an ITA Scholar-Athlete, and 165 women's tennis programs were awarded the All-Academic Team distinction. On the men's side, 1,115 Division III men's student-athletes were named an ITA Scholar-Athlete, and 135 men's tennis programs were awarded the All-Academic Team distinction.

As mentioned, the Banana Slugs boasted an impressive 15 ITA Scholar-Athlete honors this year.

Please see below for a list of this year's honorees:

Women's Tennis
Sweden Van Houten
Adeline Lai
Brooklyn Walker
Julia Chiaradia Azzi
Melody Ghaffari
Natalie Sprenger
Sara Beckman
Emily Belezzuoli
Jolie Seemayer
Chloe Wu
 
Men's Tennis
Hari Raghavan
Caden Wong
Arjun Tandon
Benjamin Wang
Adam Hidas