HUNTSVILLE - The Sam Houston tennis program has been recognized as an All-Academic Team by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association for the 11th time in the past 12 seasons.
 
For a NCAA Division I program to receive this recognition, squads must post a team grade-point average of 3.2 or above with all varsity letter winners being factored into the cumulative team GPA for the 2023-24 academic calendar.
 
In addition, five Bearkat individual players have been selected by the ITA as NCAA Division I Women Scholar-Athletes.
 
India Fenieys, Aaliyah Hohmann, Roberta Sechi, Vianne Schwab and Sahithi Vutukuru each received ITA Scholar-Athlete recognition this spring. To be named as an ITA Scholar-Athlete players must achieve a grade point average of 3.5 or higher for the complete academic year. Vutukuru earned her Sam Houston degree as a senior this spring, while Hohmann will be the lone senior for the Bearkats next year.
 
"It is always an honor to have our team recognized on a national level for its high achievements in academics," Bearkat head coach Rob Hubbard said. "Both the team and the five individuals' accomplishments explains why the word student is first when we refer to team as student-athletes. These young ladies demonstrated an excellence in time management and commitment as they incorporated their studies around practices and competitions averaging up to 20 hours a week throughout the academic year."
 
In 2024, a total of 1,573 NCAA Division I women's student-athletes were named as ITA Scholar-Athletes and 255 women's tennis programs were awarded the All-Academic Team distinction.
 
To be named an ITA Scholar-Athlete, one must have a grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year and be listed on the institutional eligibility form.
 
Since Hubbard's arrival in Huntsville in 1916-17,  Bearkat tennis players have received this annual ITA individual award a combined 43 times.