DUDLEY, Mass. – A total of 11 Nichols College men's and women's tennis student-athletes were recognized as 2012 International Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic Scholar-Athletes.

Juniors Alexandra Cifone (Bristol, Conn.), Catherine Jaworski (Berlin, Vt.), and Megan Woodruff (Morris, Conn.) joined sophomore Anna Dyakiv (Amsterdam, N.Y.) and freshmen Kathryn Malloy (Norwell, Mass.) and Samantha Rydell (Williamstown, Mass.) as members of the women's squad to be recognized. The men's selections included seniors Steve Carella (Rocky Hill, Conn.), David Drucker (Bellmore, N.Y.), Dan Saucier (Newington, Conn.), and Arsen Gasparyan (Miami, Fla.), and freshman Andrew Haas (Northbridge, Mass.).

“It is great to see so many of our tennis student-athletes recognized by the ITA,” said head coach Paul Brower, who guided the men to their first-ever NCAA Tournament this past season, one year after helping the women earn their first-ever berth into the NCAA's. “It is a testament to their work ethic, and I could not be more proud of the way these students performed on the court and in the classroom.”

A total of 26 females and 17 males representing six different Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) affiliates were recognized on the team. Nichols led the pack with 11, followed by Western New England with 10 (five men, five women), Eastern Nazarene with seven (four men, three women), Roger Williams with six (five women, one man), Salve Regina with five (three women, two men), and Curry with four (all women).

In order to earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status, a student-athlete must meet the following criteria: 1) be a varsity letter winner, 2) have a grade point average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year, and 3) have been enrolled at their present school for at least two semesters (including freshman thorough senior year).

The women open their season on Friday, August 31 with a 3:30 p.m. match against non-conference foe Babson in Dudley. The men's head to Wesleyan, Conn. to face the Cardinals and Coast Guard on Saturday, Sept. 8.