NORFOLK, Va. - For the second year in a row, the Norfolk State women's tennis team was honored with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic Team award, while three student-athletes were named ITA Scholar Athletes as the organization announced its academic awards recently.

Senior Naeemah Brooks and junior Rebecca Graff of the women's team and sophomore Kent Austin of the men's team were named ITA Scholar Athletes for having a GPA of 3.50 or better. The Spartan women's team was also honored for having a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or better.

NSU was one of 109 programs to earn the team award and one of just three Division I HBCUs to be named all-academic along with fellow MEAC member Howard and Prairie View A&M of the SWAC.

Brooks, an elementary education major, was recently named an Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sport Scholar, while Graff, a business/management major, was named to the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) Academic All-State team last week. Both players were inducted into the school's inaugural class of the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society this spring.

Austin, an accounting major, was one of just three MEAC men's players to earn the Scholar Athlete award along with Alejandro Espitia and Jack Waissen of North Carolina Central. The Rosa Alexander Scholarship recipient at NSU's end-of-year banquet, Austin was also named to the VaSID Academic All-State team along with Graff last week.

In order to earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status a player must meet the following criteria: be a varsity letter winner; have a grade point average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year; and have been enrolled at their present school for at least two semesters (including freshman thorough senior year).

The ITA All-Academic Team award is open to any ITA program that has a cumulative team grade point average of 3.20 or above (on a 4.00 scale). All eligible student-athletes whose names appear on the NCAA eligibility form and have competed in one or more varsity matches must average into the GPA for the current academic year (including fall 2011 and spring 2012).