COLUMBUS, Ga. – Fresh off Peach Belt Conference regular-season and tournament championships, the Columbus State Men's and Women's Tennis programs continued their successful 2025-26 campaigns by earning Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic Team honors. Ten Cougar student-athletes also received ITA Scholar-Athlete recognition.
The Cougar men were represented by Samer Al Tori, Arthur Colson, Daniel Hammond, and Yike Liu, while the Cougar women were represented by Claudia De Lucas, Isabell Ek, Katelyn Greer, Sofia Lauretti, Laura Pesickova, and Monika Temkova.
The ITA All-Academic Team award recognizes programs that achieve a cumulative team grade-point average of at least 3.20, while ITA Scholar-Athlete honors are awarded to student-athletes who earn at least a 3.50 grade-point average during the academic year and are listed on their institution's eligibility form.
Women's Tennis:
De Lucas turned in an impressive freshman season, posting a 16-5 singles record while finishing the year on a 12-match singles winning streak.
Ek earned All-Peach Belt Conference First Team Doubles and Peach Belt Conference All-Academic Team honors after posting a 15-6 singles record and a 21-3 doubles record alongside Laura Pesickova.
Greer earned ITA Scholar-Athlete recognition during her freshman season.
Lauretti posted a 15-6 singles record during her redshirt sophomore campaign and received Peach Belt Conference All-Academic Team honors.
Pesickova earned All-Peach Belt Conference First Team Doubles and Peach Belt Conference All-Academic Team recognition after compiling a 14-4 singles record and a 21-3 doubles record. She finished the season on a seven-match doubles winning streak.
Temkova received All-Peach Belt Conference First Team honors in both singles and doubles while earning Peach Belt Conference All-Academic Team recognition. The junior posted an 11-4 doubles record and closed the season by winning seven of her final eight doubles matches.
Across Division II, the ITA recognized 548 men's student-athletes and 70 men's programs with Scholar-Athlete and All-Academic Team honors, respectively. The organization also announced its 2026 Division II Women's ITA Scholar-Athletes and All-Academic Teams, recognizing the outstanding academic achievements of student-athletes and programs across the nation.
Men's Tennis:
Al Tori enjoyed an outstanding junior campaign, posting a 13-7 singles record and a 17-5 doubles mark. He went undefeated in Peach Belt Conference singles play with a 5-0 record and finished the season on a seven-match doubles winning streak.
Colson earned ITA Scholar-Athlete honors after appearing in one singles match during his freshman season.
Hammond compiled an 11-3 singles record and a 14-5 doubles record during his senior campaign while earning All-Peach Belt Conference Second Team Doubles honors. He also received Peach Belt Conference All-Academic Team recognition.
Liu received Peach Belt Conference All-Academic Team honors after recording five singles wins, including a 2-1 record in Peach Belt Conference play. He closed the season by winning four of his final seven singles matches.
