University of Texas - Dallas issued the following announcement on Aug. 18
Kathy Joseph MS’21 posted a record of 15-3 in singles and 16-3 in doubles last spring. She also earned Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American honors for the second time and was named an Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
After a year unlike any other on the field, University of Texas at Dallas student-athletes made some history off the field this summer.
Kathy Joseph MS’21 became the women’s tennis program’s first Academic All-American after collecting first-team honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America. Joseph, who graduated with a master’s degree in biomedical engineering last spring, also was named the American Southwest Conference (ASC) Female Athlete of the Year, only the second Comet to earn the distinction.
During her senior year, Joseph advanced to the semifinals of both the NCAA Division III singles and doubles national championship tournaments and received Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American honors for the second time. She is one of just four Comets to earn All-America and Academic All-America recognition during their careers.
Men’s golf player Ryan Kropp BS’21 was named to the NCAA Division III Ping All-America Third Team by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA), becoming the first Comet to earn the recognition since 2004. He led the Comets with a school-record 73.77 scoring average last spring.
Ryan Kropp BS’21 placed second at American Southwest Conference (ASC) Championships last spring. He also earned ASC Academic All-Conference honors for the second time in his career.
Kropp, who recently graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering, was recognized as a Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar, as were three of his teammates — underclassmen Jared Harvey, Joseph Park and Hudson Hicks. To be honored, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically and maintain a stroke average of 79.0 or better and boast a cumulative GPA of 3.2.
For the sixth straight year, the men’s golf team earned the Presidents Special Recognition Honor from the GCAA as one of the top 15 academic programs in NCAA Division III. Only teams with a GPA of at least 3.5 received the award.
The women’s golf team ranked second in NCAA Division III with a team GPA of 3.91, earning an All-Scholar Team GPA Award from the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA). Five Comets — Lindy Patterson, Karen Alvarez, SzeSze Fertitta, Isabel Montelongo and Maddy Vilven — were named All-American Scholars by the WGCA. Alvarez also became the first Comet presented an NCAA Elite 90 Award, which is given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s 90 championships. The Comets played in their first NCAA Division III National Championship tournament last May.
For the seventh consecutive season, the volleyball program earned the Team Academic Award from the American Volleyball Coaches Association and the U.S. Marine Corps. The award honors volleyball teams that maintain a yearlong GPA of 3.3.
The baseball team received the American Baseball Coaches Association Team Academic Excellence Award. To be eligible, a collegiate program must post a team GPA of 3.0 or better.
For the 2020-21 academic year, UT Dallas placed 177 student-athletes on the ASC Academic All-Conference teams with three Comets named ASC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes of the Year for their respective sports.
Original source can be found here.
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