SKILLMAN, N.J. – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced the 2015 All-America Teams for Division III women's tennis Wednesday and two Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference schools were represented.
Sofia Vega of Texas Lutheran earned single recognition, while Marie Lutz and Liza Southwick earned the honor for their work in doubles.
Vega, a junior from Corpus Christi, Texas, earned her third All-America honor, meeting all five of the criteria set by the ITA. In the NCAA Division III Women's Singles Championship, Vega was a top-eight seed and won her first round in the competition. She also finished at No. 10 in the final Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings.
Vegas is also a two-time Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Year and the Texas Lutheran Female Student-Athlete of the Year. She currently holds Texas Lutheran records in career singles wins (80), career combined singles/doubles wins (127), single-season singles victories (27, twice) and single-season combined singles/doubles victories (43).
Southwick, a sophomore from Nashville, Tenn., and Lutz, a freshman from San Antonio, Texas, earned All-American accolades in doubles. This year, they won the ITA Regional Doubles Championship. They also qualifying for the USTA/ITA National Small College Championship, where they took home fifth place.
The pair played in the No. 1 spot all season, amassing a record of 10-10. They finished the season ranked No. 19 in the nation by ITA.
To earn ITA All-America honors, a player must meet any of the following criteria:
Singles
1.) Top 8 seed in NCAA singles tournament
2.) Win one round at NCAA singles tournament
3.) Finish in the Top 20 in the final Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings
4.) Win USTA/ITA Fall Regional Tournament
5.) Wins first-round match at the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships
(including players who receive at-large invitations to the tournament)
Doubles
1.) Top 4 seed in NCAA doubles tournament
2.) Win one round at NCAA doubles tournament
3.) Finish in the Top 10 in the final Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings
4.) Win USTA/ITA Fall Regional Tournament
5.) Wins first-round match at the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships
(including teams who receive at-large invitations to the tournament)
