They succeeded on the tennis courts all season long, but these student-athletes proved they can succeed in the classroom as well.
Current Tigers Bryan Fisher, Jason Hazley, Sebastian Rutka and Rocio Fantilli each earned their first Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll award, the SEC announced Friday.
“In my opinion, this is the most important award our players can receive,” said women’s tennis coach Tony Minnis. “We want them to come to LSU and earn a quality education as well as compete athletically in the most competitive league in the nation.”
To be considered for the SEC Academic Honor Roll, a student-athlete must have a 3.0 grade-point average, be a sophomore and have 24 hours applied to a degree.
In addition to the four current Tigers who earned honors last week, five former Tigers were also awarded with SEC Academic honors.
Dan Kiernan, a Tiger from 1998-2002, graduated in December with a marketing degree. It was his fourth consecutive SEC academic award.
Four former Lady Tigers brought home SEC Academic Honor Roll awards as well. Tami Botts, Bruna Colosio and Kelly Craycraft brought home awards for the fourth consecutive year. Amy McIlhaney earned her second straight award.
“These guys did a great job of combining their athletics and academics,” said men’s tennis coach Jeff Brown. “They don’t get nearly enough credit for their school work, and it seems that the only time anyone talks about athletes is when something negative happens. It’s just good to see that these guys were able to show that they can wear both hats.”