DALLAS – Conference USA tabbed 12 student-athletes to its 2024 CUSA Men’s and Women’s Tennis All-Academic Teams Friday afternoon. Seven schools are represented with Liberty having three student-athletes earn spots on the list, MTSU, NM State and WKU each have two student-athletes apiece, while Jax State, LA Tech and UTEP are highlighted as well.
 
On the men’s side, student-athletes all had over a 3.7 GPA and featured majors in Business Administration, Computer Science, Finance and Psychology. All six members earned all-academic honors for the first time in their careers.
 
Jax State’s Matei Palcau has been selected to the All-Academic team as he holds a 4.0 GPA as a sophomore student majoring in Computer Science. Palcau was also named an ITA Scholar Athlete during the 2022-23 campaign.
 
Liberty senior Deji Thomas-Smith earned an All-Academic nod after maintaining a 4.0 while pursuing his MBA. Thomas-Smith was also named a 2023 CSC Academic All-District member. Teammate, Chase Robinson joins him as he boasts a 3.9 GPA in Business Administration.
 
MTSU’s Leo Raquin was named to the team, owning a 3.73 GPA while majoring in Finance, Economics and Business Administration. Fellow Blue Raider, Karim Al-Amin earned a nod as well after posting a 3.8 GPA while going after a degree in Psychology.
 
Rounding out the 2024 men’s team, New Mexico State junior Itay Feigin accumulated a near perfect 3.97 GPA, studying finance. Feigin was recently named Athlete of the Week, becoming the first Aggie to receive that honor.
 
For the women, all student-athletes recorded a 3.81 GPA or better. The collective majors included Business Administration, Computer Science, Kinesiology, Business Data Analytics and Marketing.
 
WKU saw two athletes make the All-Academic Team. Lady Hilltoppers Sofia Blanco and Samantha Martinez earned the honor for their second consecutive year. Blanco has accumulated a 3.88 GPA, studying Business Data Analytics and Computer Science. The Junior has earned CUSA Athlete of the Week recognition this season. Martinez maintained a perfect 4.0 as she is working towards her degree in Marketing.
 
UTEP’s Veronika Lebisova earned her third All-Academic nod as she holds steady with a 4.0 GPA in Kinesiology. The senior has also earned placement on the CUSA Academic Honor Roll and secured a CUSA Academic medal in all three years.
 
Also holding a perfect 4.0 GPA, Louisiana Tech’s Tiffani Nash is working for her master’s in Business Administration. The senior has played in every match this season and was recognized as Athlete of the Week on Wednesday.
 
Liberty’s Esther Lovato (3.81, Master of Business Administration) and NM State’s Lisa Zhu (3.96, Computer Science) were awarded positions on the CUSA All-Academic Team for the first time.
 
The 2024 Conference USA Men’s Championship will be held April 20-21 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, while the women’s championship will be held April 18-21 in Miami, Florida.  
 
2024 Men’s Tennis All-Academic Team
Matei Palcau, Jax State - So. - 4.00 - Computer Science 
Chase Robinson, Liberty - R-Fr. - 3.90 - Business Administration  
Deji Thomas-Smith, Liberty - Sr. - 4.00 - MBA, Exercise Science Strength & Conditioning
Leo Raquin, MTSU - Sr. - 3.73 - Finance, Economics, Business Administration
Karim Al-Amin, MTSU - So.  - 3.80 - Psychology  
Itay Feigin, NM State - Jr. - 3.97 - Finance  
 
2024 Women’s Tennis All-Academic Team
Esther Lovato, Liberty - Sr. - 3.81 - Master of Business Administration
Tiffani Nash, LA Tech - Sr. - 4.00 - Master of Business Administration
Lisa Zhu, NM State - Jr. - 3.96 - Computer Science
Veronika Lebisova, UTEP³  - Sr. - 4.00 - Kinesiology
Sofia Blanco, WKU²  - Jr. - 3.88 - Business Data Analytics/Computer Science  
Samantha Martinez, WKU² - Sr. - 4.00 - Marketing/Social Media Marketing