Contact: Drew Sauer, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324

ITA All-Academic Teams
ITA Scholar Athletes

July 14, 2021 – Awarded for their work in the classroom, the North Central College men's tennis team earned All-Academic Team honors by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), while four individuals were named Scholar Athletes.
 
To qualify for the ITA All-Academic Team award, a program must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20 or above, as all varsity letter winners are factored into the cumulative team GPA.  A total of 111 NCAA Division III men's teams qualified for the distinction, and North Central is one of five College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) representatives along with Carthage College, Illinois Wesleyan University, Millikin University and Wheaton College. This marks the seventh time in program history that the team has qualified for the award (2009, 2010, 2011, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021).
 
To qualify for ITA Scholar Athlete recognition, student-athletes must earn a varsity letter, have a cumulative GPA of 3.50 and have been enrolled at their present institution for at least two semesters.  Lucas Pindak earned the distinction for the fourth-consecutive season, while Javier Suarez Balsera and Jacob Mersch earn their second career Scholar Athlete awards, along with first-time honorees Justin Howes and Ethan Sherman.
 
North Central opens the 2021-2022 season with the CCIW Fall Tournament, hosted by Millikin University at Fairview Park Tennis Complex beginning on Saturday, Sept. 11.