Aug. 8, 2008

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -

The Loyola Marymount University women's tennis team was named one of 102 Division I women's squads to be named as an ITA All-Academic team, it was announced earlier this week.  In addition, Shawnell Russell, Audra Silman, Tamara Tanner and Natalie Tejada were all lauded for their individual academic accomplishments.

The ITA All-Academic Team award is open to any ITA program that has a cumulative team grade point average of 3.20 or above.  LMU is just one of two West Coast Conference schools to be named to the list, with the other being Gonzaga University.

In order to earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status, a player must be a varsity letter winner, have a grade point average of at least 3.50 for the current academic year, and have been enrolled at their present school for at least 2 semesters.

Russell finished her senior year toting a 3.62 GPA as an English major.  Silman, who will return to LMU as a junior next season, earned a 3.58 GPA as a business major. Tanner, working toward her master's degree in education, finished the season with a team-best 3.90 GPA.  Tejada, another senior who recently completed her four years at LMU, toted a 3.53 GPA as a communication studies major.

For a complete list of the 2008 ITA All-Academic Teams and Scholar Athletes, please visit the following link:
2008 ITA All-Academic Teams and Scholar Athletes