Priest, Smith Named To C-USA All-Academic Squad
April 20, 2007 | Women's Tennis
April 20, 2007
IRVING, Texas - Seven women's tennis student-athletes were named to the 2006-07 Conference USA All-Academic Team, as announced by the league office today. East Carolina had two members on the team, while Marshall, Memphis, Rice, SMU and Tulsa all placed one representative on the inaugural squad. The all-academic team consisted of seven student-athletes that have earned a 3.2 cumulative grade point average or better and have competed in 75 percent of their team's scheduled matches.
Four juniors, two sophomores and one senior make up the 2006-07 All-Academic Women's Tennis team. All seven members have at least a 3.60 GPA, with five of the student-athletes carrying a 3.80 GPA or higher.
East Carolina teammates Hannah Priest and Alex Smith were named to the all-academic team after leading their team to a 19-10 record. Priest, a junior, carries a 3.97 GPA in physical education and has earned selection to the Dean's List and has also been a member of the ECU Athletics Director's Honor Roll. She currently serves as the athletics department's student government representative and earned the highest GPA among all ECU physical education majors. She finished the spring with a 9-8 record in singles matches and an 8-4 mark in doubles.
Smith, a rehabilitation services major, has a 3.89 GPA and has earned East Carolina's highest academic honor in four out of five semesters. The junior currently stands first among all Pirates' doubles players with a 15-7 record, teaming with five different partners, while finishing the campaign with a 6-6 singles slate.
Marshall placed sophomore Jessica Keener on the academic list. Keener holds a 3.80 GPA in business and tallied the second best win/loss record of returning Herd players, going 15-8 last season. This spring, Keener is 11-3 in singles and 11-10 in doubles.
Memphis' Christina Weiser is the lone senior on the all-academic team and had a 3.80 GPA as a business marketing major and is currently getting her MBA and holds a 3.98 GPA. Weiser is a three-time member of the C-USA Academic Honor Roll and a two-time Commissioner's Academic Medalist. An ITA scholar-athlete and a five-time member of the Tiger 3.0 club, Weiser missed the entire summer and fall of 2006 following knee surgery and is playing her way back into form heading into the 2007 C-USA Championship.
SMU's Natalia Bubien garnered All-Academic recognition with her 3.86 GPA in psychology. The sophomore is a two-time C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medal honoree and is the Mustangs' team captain in 2007. The native of Poland is 10-7 playing in the No. 1 spot this spring and is 16-3 with partner Claire Rietsch at No. 1 doubles.
Two juniors finalize the seven-member all-academic team. Rice's Dominique Karas is a political science/pre-med major with a 3.70 GPA, while Tulsa's Agostino Santoro has a 3.62 GPA in biochemistry. Karas is a two-time C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll honoree and two-time ITA Student-Athlete Division I-A Award winner. Nine of her 10 singles wins have been in straight sets and, prior to her knee injury, was ranked No. 68 in the preseason rankings. Santoro is also a Commissioner's Honor Roll member and is 10-0 at No. 5 singles this spring. For the season, the junior is 23-4 in singles.
2006-07 C-USA WOMEN'S TENNIS ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Name, School, Class, GPA, Major
Hannah Priest, East Carolina, Junior, 3.97, Physical Education
Alex Smith, East Carolina, Junior, 3.89, Rehabilitation Services
Jessica Keener, Marshall, Sophomore, 3.80, Business
Christina Wieser, Memphis, Senior, 3.98, Business/MBA
Dominique Karas, Rice, Junior, 3.70, Political Science/PreMed
Natalia Bubien, SMU, Sophomore, 3.86, Psychology
Agostina Santoro, Tulsa, Junior, 3.62, Biochemistry
