UCLA's Thompson, Arizona's Smyth named Pac-12 tennis Scholar-Athletes of the Year
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - UCLA’s Clay Thompson and ARIZONA’s Lacey Smyth have been named the Pac-12 Men’s and Women’s Tennis Scholar-Athletes of the Year, the Conference office announced today.
Thompson is a two-time honorable mention Pac-12 All-Academic selection and a first team All-Pac-12 honoree this year after being ranked No. 1 in the nation in singles for most of the season. He led the team in singles victories with a 37-8 overall record, posting the most singles victories on the season for UCLA since 2006. The Venice, Calif., native holds a 3.14 grade point average, majoring in English, and is a member of the UCLA Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.
Smyth led the Wildcats to one of their highest rankings in history at No. 23, posting a 16-6 singles record playing at the No. 1 spot all season for UA. The Oceanside, Calif., native earned the ITA Regional Senior of the Year award after competing in the NCAA Singles Championships for the third-straight year. A second team All-Pac-12 selection this season and a first team Pac-12 All-Academic honoree, Smyth holds the highest GPA on the team with a 3.79 mark, majoring in elementary education.
In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50% of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum of one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport’s regular season. The athletic accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in the voting for the award.
A Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be named in each of the Pac-12’s 22 sponsored sports: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, men’s golf, women’s golf, women’s gymnastics, men’s rowing, women’s rowing, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball, men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s track & field, women’s track & field, women’s volleyball, and wrestling.
The Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards were established during the 2007-08 academic year.