Aug. 11, 2004

The University of Texas - Pan American men's and women's tennis programs were honored on Wednesday (Aug. 11) by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association for its excellence in the classroom.

UTPA was one of only 27 NCAA Division I schools to have both its men's and women's squads selected as ITA All-Academic Teams. The men's program was among 35 NCAA Division I schools to be honored while the women's program was joined by 83 universities in earning the same honor. It was the fourth consecutive year that the Lady Broncs have received the award and the first time for the Broncs.

Jeremy Salvo (Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada/Centennial Secondary School) was one of 250 NCAA Division I male student-athletes selected as an ITA Scholar-Athlete. It was the second consecutive year that the UTPA junior has received that honor. Salvo is majoring in international business with a minor in business management.

Alana Breen (Whistler, British Columbia, Canada/Whistler Secondary School) and junior Vanessa Hedinger (Therwil, Switzerland/Gymnasium Berwil) represented UTPA as ITA Scholar-Athletes along with 416 NCAA Division I women student-athletes. Breen, a biology major, won the award for the second consecutive year while Hedinger, a marketing major, was a first-time winner.

In order to be nominated, the Broncs and Lady Broncs were required to record a cumulative team grade point average of 3.20 or above. All eligible student-athletes had to meet three areas of criteria in order to be nominated for the honor: (1) must be a varsity letterwinner, (2) must have achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or above for the current academic year and (3) must be enrolled in school for at least two semesters.

"At the University of Texas - Pan American, our athletic program remains committed to achieving excellence in both the academic and athletic arenas. Being honored as one of only 27 NCAA Division I institutions to have both the men's and women's programs recognized as ITA All-Academic Teams is a tremendous accomplishment. We are very proud of these student-athletes in regards to their continued commitment, dedication and pursuit of excellence on both the court and in the classroom," said Director of Athletics William J. Weidner.

UTPA Sports Information