FLORENCE, SC – The Francis Marion University men's and women's tennis programs had their outstanding work in the classroom during the 2025-26 academic year recognized Tuesday (July 14) when the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) released its annual academic awards.

As a team, the FMU women's tennis posted a 3.54 grade point average (GPA) while the men's program boasted a 3.49 GPA. The Patriots were one of four conference schools to feature both tennis programs on the all-academic team.

In addition to both programs earning ITA All-Academic Team honors, seven men's members and five women's student-athletes for the Patriots received ITA Scholar-Athlete accolades.

To be eligible to earn the ITA All-Academic Team, a program must hold a cumulative team grade-point average (GPA) of 3.20 or above. To receive ITA Scholar-Athlete honors, a student-athlete must have a GPA of at least 3.50.

The players recognized on the men's squad were senior Niklas Plath (biology), juniors Alexandre Frigout (business) and Alexander Mirkov (economics), sophomores Valentino Ceronio (political science), Miguel Maia (management), Mateo Perez Martinez (finance), and freshman Viktor Virághalmi (chemistry). Plath is a four-time recipient of the academic honor, while Mirkov garnered the laurel for the third-straight year. Perez Martinez, Frigout, Maia, and Ceronio each received the accolade twice.

On the women's side are senior Lian Timmermans (psychology), sophomores Valery Gomez (marketing) and Lara Lanno (management), and freshmen Jensen Gibbs (marketing) and Janka Juhász (mathematics). Timmermans is a three-time honoree, while Lanno collects the award for a second-straight year.

Francis Marion was one of four Conference Carolinas institutions to have double-digit student-athletes earn the ITA individual honor.

The ITA is the governing body of college tennis, overseeing men's and women's varsity tennis at all levels – NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, NAIA, and Junior/Community College.