FOUR LIONS TENNIS STUDENT-ATHLETES EARN CSC ACADEMIC HONORS

Four members of the Penn State Altoona tennis teams were recognized for their success in the classroom on Tuesday, being named to the College Sports Communicators' NCAA Division III Academic All-District teams.

From the Penn State Altoona women's tennis team, sophomores Isabella Rhoades, Lauren Stich, and Rachel Stricek earned spots on the CSC's DIII Academic All-District team. On the men's side, junior Casey Hess took a spot on the CSC DIII Academic All-District squad.

View the complete CSC Academic All-District women's and men's tennis teams

To be eligible for a spot on the Academic All-District team, student-athletes must meet certain academic and athletic requirements. Academically, student-athletes must be at least sophomores while holding cumulative grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher. Athletically, players must have competed in at least 70 percent of their team's total matches. Nominators could submit up to four qualified student-athletes per team.

Rhoades competed in all 12 matches for the Penn State Altoona women's tennis team in its 2023 season last fall. She played all of her singles matches in the No. 4 spot in the lineup, where she recorded three wins, and she also had three wins in No. 2 doubles, where she played all but one of her doubles matches. Rhoades is majoring in Business.

Stich played in all 12 matches during the 2023 season for Penn State Altoona. She tied for second on the squad in singles wins, totaling six victories in No. 5 singles matches, where she made all of her appearances in singles play. In doubles play, she split time between the No. 2 and No. 3 spots and totaled four wins. Stich is majoring in Biomedical Engineering.

Stricek registered an appearance in 11 of the Lions' 12 matches last fall. She tied for the second-most singles wins on her team, recording six victories while playing all of her matches in the No. 3 singles slot. In doubles, she played all of her matches in the No. 2 position, where she tallied three wins. Stricek is an Early Childhood Education major.

Hess played in all 16 matches for the Penn State Altoona men's tennis team in its 2023-24 season. In singles, the junior played all but one match in the No. 1 position and finished the season with an 11-4 overall record while being voted to the first team of the All-Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference squad in No. 1 singles. Hess was a second-team All-AMCC selection in No. 1 doubles, where he compiled a 13-3 overall record. He is majoring in Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology.

For more information on the CSC's academic awards, visit https://academicallamerica.com/