Stillman, NJ --- Paced by the senior teammates Laura Sarkis (W. Springfield, MA) and Brooke Michanczyk (Middletown, CT), nine women's tennis student-athletes were recently honored by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) for their efforts in the classroom and on the court.

Michanczyk and Sarkis were joined by juniors Miranda Biron (Webster, MA), Danielle Candelieri (Chelmsford, MA), Page Hirons (Gardner, MA) and Taylor Tomasetti (Waterford, CT). The sophomores who earned prestigious laurels were Cassandra Goncalves (Ludlow, MA) and Megan Shepard (Middletown, CT) as freshman Shelby Jankins (W. Brookfield, MA) rounded out the group.

To be named an ITA Scholar-Athlete, one must have participated on the varsity team, maintained a 3.50 grade point average for the current academic year and been enrolled at their present school for at least two semesters.

Over 550 female Division III individuals were honored with the distinction as Worcester State had the most in the Little East Conference and were tied for the second highest sum of student-athletes in New England, just behind MIT who had 11.

With seven of the 11 on the women's tennis team sporting grade point averages that were above a 3.65, the Blue and Gold also equaled the fifth-most student-athletes among institutions nationally. Worcester State joined Wisconsin-Whitewater as the only two public schools in the top five.

For the second time in three seasons, Worcester State was also recognized by the ITA with a team award by having over a cumulative GPA above 3.20. Joining 20 other New England squads on a list of 85 institutions overall, the Lancers were among the best in the WSU athletics department with a sparkling 3.52 grade point average for the 2013-14 academic year.

Michanczyk and Sarkis both captured ITA Scholar-Athlete laurels for the third-straight season, while Goncalves, Shepard and Tomasetti received nods for the second time in their careers.

Under the guidance of second-year head coach Albana Xhemollari, the Lancers earned a first-round home game in the LEC playoffs and the first-ever trip to the conference tournament semifinals. With a final mark of 9-8, WSU posted their first winning season since 1996.