University of Georgia Athletics
Photo by: Manuela Davies/USTA
Women’s Tennis Team Honored By ITA For Academics
July 12, 2021 | Women's Tennis
Athens, Ga. ----- For the fifth consecutive year, the University of Georgia women's tennis team earned Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic honors plus five Bulldogs were named Scholar Athletes, the ITA announced Monday.
"It was another outstanding year for the team in the classroom, in fact, it was the best spring semester of any UGA women's team," head coach Jeff Wallace said. "The team GPA was 3.57 and only men's cross country was higher (3.61). This year's squad really excelled on and off the court."
Graduates Elena Christofi and Marta Gonzalez along with senior Morgan Coppoc, junior Meg Kowalski and sophomore Lea Ma were all named ITA Scholar Athletes. This was the fifth straight year for Christofi, the third for Kowalski, the second time for both Coppoc and Ma and the first for Gonzalez.
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. To be named an ITA All-Academic Team, a program must have a team grade point average of 3.2 or above (on a 4.00 scale), and all varsity letter winners should be factored into the cumulative team GPA for the current academic year.
Christofi, who was pursuing a masters in financial planning after earning a finance degree last year, made the J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Honor Roll 10 times in her career plus appeared on the Dean's List multiple times. On the court this season, she was 19-4 in singles and went 23-5 in doubles with Coppoc. They had a final national ranking of No. 41. In singles, Coppoc posted a 25-7 mark and No. 92 national ranking. She was named to the SEC All-Tournament Team and the SEC Tournament MVP. Coppoc earned a degree in risk management and insurance.
Gonzalez, who earned a degree in mechanical engineering, ranked among the top 100 in singles this season and was a regular on the SEC Academic Honor Roll and J. Reid Parker Director Athletics Honor Roll during her career. She went 13-2 in singles this year and 7-1 in doubles.
Kowalski, a sport management major, enjoyed a career year, earning All-America honors in singles and a final ranking of No. 25 after going 25-4. She paired with Ma to go 16-4 in doubles. For the third straight year, Kowalski was named to the SEC Community Service Team. She has been an annual member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Honor Roll.
Ma, a sport management major, was named the SEC Newcomer of the Year as well as All-SEC and Academic All-SEC. She posted a 17-5 singles record including 15-3 at No. 2 in the lineup. Ma made the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll and J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Honor Roll.
The Bulldogs, led by head coach Jeff Wallace, finished the year ranked No. 4 nationally after going 23-2 and winning the SEC regular season and tournament titles. Georgia went undefeated in league play. Also, of note earlier this summer, the team was recognized with an ITA Southeast Region Community Service Award.
"It was another outstanding year for the team in the classroom, in fact, it was the best spring semester of any UGA women's team," head coach Jeff Wallace said. "The team GPA was 3.57 and only men's cross country was higher (3.61). This year's squad really excelled on and off the court."
Graduates Elena Christofi and Marta Gonzalez along with senior Morgan Coppoc, junior Meg Kowalski and sophomore Lea Ma were all named ITA Scholar Athletes. This was the fifth straight year for Christofi, the third for Kowalski, the second time for both Coppoc and Ma and the first for Gonzalez.
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. To be named an ITA All-Academic Team, a program must have a team grade point average of 3.2 or above (on a 4.00 scale), and all varsity letter winners should be factored into the cumulative team GPA for the current academic year.
Christofi, who was pursuing a masters in financial planning after earning a finance degree last year, made the J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Honor Roll 10 times in her career plus appeared on the Dean's List multiple times. On the court this season, she was 19-4 in singles and went 23-5 in doubles with Coppoc. They had a final national ranking of No. 41. In singles, Coppoc posted a 25-7 mark and No. 92 national ranking. She was named to the SEC All-Tournament Team and the SEC Tournament MVP. Coppoc earned a degree in risk management and insurance.
Gonzalez, who earned a degree in mechanical engineering, ranked among the top 100 in singles this season and was a regular on the SEC Academic Honor Roll and J. Reid Parker Director Athletics Honor Roll during her career. She went 13-2 in singles this year and 7-1 in doubles.
Kowalski, a sport management major, enjoyed a career year, earning All-America honors in singles and a final ranking of No. 25 after going 25-4. She paired with Ma to go 16-4 in doubles. For the third straight year, Kowalski was named to the SEC Community Service Team. She has been an annual member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Honor Roll.
Ma, a sport management major, was named the SEC Newcomer of the Year as well as All-SEC and Academic All-SEC. She posted a 17-5 singles record including 15-3 at No. 2 in the lineup. Ma made the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll and J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Honor Roll.
The Bulldogs, led by head coach Jeff Wallace, finished the year ranked No. 4 nationally after going 23-2 and winning the SEC regular season and tournament titles. Georgia went undefeated in league play. Also, of note earlier this summer, the team was recognized with an ITA Southeast Region Community Service Award.
Players Mentioned
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