McLean County Times

Six members of the Illinois Wesleyan University men's tennis team have been recognized as Scholar-Athletes by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), as announced on Wednesday, July 24. Additionally, the Titans received the All-Academic Team accolade.

The honored players include seniors Joshua Cortez and Ryan McCoy, junior Zeke Cross, sophomore Griffin Hammond, and freshmen Thad Dillow and Chase Tomecki. To qualify for the Scholar-Athlete Award, individuals must maintain a GPA of at least 3.5 for the academic year. Teams must have a collective GPA of at least 3.2 to earn All-Academic status.

Cortez, an English and psychology double major, achieved this honor for the fourth consecutive season with a final-year GPA of 3.86. He also earned Academic All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) honors for three straight years and was named to the Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society following the 2022-23 season. During his last campaign, Cortez appeared in one dual match and one tournament, posting a 2-2 record in singles action.

McCoy, a history major with a 3.82 GPA for the season, received his first academic award. He played in 19 dual matches primarily in the No. 3 singles slot with an overall singles record of 5-12 and partnered in doubles play accumulating an overall paired record of 8-11.

Cross earned his second scholar-athlete honor with a GPA of 3.75 while double majoring in accounting and mathematics. He also received College Sports Communicators Academic All-District and Academic All-CCIW accolades during the campaign. Cross participated in 19 dual matches and one tournament, recording a singles play record of 7-9 and doubles action record of 6-12.

Hammond maintained a GPA of 3.81 as an environmental studies major to secure his second straight scholar-athlete honor along with CSC Academic All-District and Academic All-CCIW distinctions after his sophomore year performance which included an individual record of 7-10 in singles play.

Dillow achieved his first academic accolade with a GPA of 3.65 as a finance major after appearing in multiple matches during his freshman season where he posted records both individually (10-11) and alongside Hammond at No. 3 doubles (8-11).

Tomecki recorded a perfect GPA of 4.0 as a biology major earning him his first academic award following appearances in two dual matches finishing singles action with an overall record of 2-2.

The Titans were among five CCIW institutions to receive ITA's All-Academic Team Award along with Augustana College, Carthage College, Millikin University, and Wheaton College.