IRVING, Texas - Two Baylor women's tennis student-athletes were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team, league officials announced Wednesday.
Both players, Blair Shankle and Theresa Van Zyl, garnered first-team honors. This is the second-straight year that Shankle has been recognized, while Van Zyl was honored for the first time.
The league recognized a total of 37 women, including 33 on the first team and four on the second team. The Lady Bears have now had at least two honorees in eight consecutive seasons.
Shankle, currently the 91st-ranked singles player in the country, has been at the top of BU’s lineup for the majority of the season and boasts a 13-3 dual-match record. She has also been a standout in doubles, partnering with Kiah Generette to be the 18th-ranked pairing in the country with a 12-5 dual-match mark. Shankle is a junior accounting major from Dallas, Texas.
Van Zyl, a pre-business major from Aroab, Namibia, holds a 7-8 dual-match singles record. Playing at the No. 5 singles position for a large portion of her matches, she has a 4-1 record. In doubles, Van Zyl, a sophomore, has played with seven different partners and has tallied a 13-12 mark overall.
To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of their team's scheduled contests. First-team honorees have a 3.20 GPA or higher. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.
Next up, Baylor will play its final regular season match at No. 24 Texas on Saturday at 1 p.m.
