GILBERT, Ariz. | The Georgia College & State women's tennis team has been recognized as an All-Academic Team by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association while players Laura Almagro, Ashley Bentz, Rachel Black and Natalie Kirka were named Scholar-Athletes by the organization.

The Bobcats, who were one of 95 NCAA Division II institutions recognized by the ITA, had a 3.42 cumulative grade-point average as a team this year. To be named an All-Academic team, a program had to have a 3.20 GPA.  It was the 13th consecutive year that GCSU has been named an All-Academic Team by the ITA and 18th overall.

Almagro, a senior from Marbella, Spain, posted a 3.63 GPA as an exercise science major, while Bentz, a junior from Suwanee, Georgia, had a 3.60 GPA as a biology major. Black, a sophomore from Valdosta, Georgia, tallied a 3,63 GPA as a biology major, while Kirka, a sophomore from Marietta, Georgia, collected a 3.81 GPA as a mathematics major. It is the third ITA Scholar-Athlete honor for Almagro, while it is the second for both Bentz, Black and Kika.

To be named an ITA Scholar-Athlete, the player must have a 3.50 GPA for the current academic year.

About GCSU Athletics 
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for five consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 13 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won six consecutive Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and six-time winners of the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in postseason competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports or subscribe to the GSCU Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with GCSU Athletics.