University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennis Vols Excel on the Court and in the Classroom
January 05, 2009 | Men's Tennis
Jan. 5, 2009
Tennessee head coach Sam Winterbotham wants his tennis players to be true student-athletes. The athletes showcased their ability this past spring to the tune of a 23-4 record and the students showed up this past fall as UT's men's tennis team combined to achieve a 3.24 team grade-point average in the fall semester, the top team GPA in UT athletics.
"We have a team of great student athletes," Winterbotham said. "It's a fantastic accomplishment and we want all of our teams to strive to be the best they can be academically as well as athletically. To have the team do what it is doing on the court and also excelling in the classroom is a coach's dream. (Associate head coach) Chris (Woodruff) and I are so proud of them. They are a great group that represents the University in a first-class manner."
Sophomore All-America John-Patrick Smith was the 2008 SEC Freshman of the Year and finished runner-up for the NCAA singles championship. The Australia native can also get things done in the classroom as the Economics major posted a 3.9 GPA in the fall. Smith is the highest ranked Vol on the courts and the classroom.
Other players who had noteworthy falls are sophomores Jeremy Tweedt and Matteo Fago. Tweedt had a 3.75 GPA in the fall and Fago had a 3.5 GPA. Both are still undecided on their major.
Overall, six of the eight team members made the Thornton Center Honor Roll during the fall semester. To earn a spot, a student-athlete must obtain a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
"Achieving this team goal we set at the beginning of the season is very fulfilling," said Scott Swain, assistant director of the Thornton Center. "The team, coaches and I sat down before the semester and mapped out what we wanted to get accomplished. Needless to say, I'm very proud of the tennis team and all the effort they put into the semester. Hopefully we will continue to keep this up in the future."
The Vols begin the 2009 season Jan .16 when they travel to Lexington, Ky., to participate in the SEC Coaches' Indoor Championships.
