Four Jayhawks Earn ITA Scholar-Athlete Status

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas had four women’s tennis players earn Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar-Athlete status the organization recently announced. Senior Maria Belen Luduena, junior Maria Jose Cardona and freshmen Madison Harrison and Lauren Pickens each found their names on the prestigious list.  
 
“I am happy for these four young ladies,” said KU head coach Todd Chapman, who will be entering his third season at the helm of the Jayhawk program in September. “They deserve a great deal of credit for their work off of the court and their commitment to their academics. It is such a hard balance in college athletics, and these four did it so well this past year.”
 
To achieve this award student-athletes were required to maintain a minimum of a 3.5 grade point average during the 2014-2015 year. All four student-athletes are first time honorees of this outstanding academic achievement.
 
Luduena, a 2015 Academic All-Big 12 first team honoree, finished the 2014-15 season with a 14-13 mark in doubles and 12-13 record in singles play. The Curico, Chile native graduated in May with a degree in economics.
 
A Santiago, Chile product, Cardona also nabbed 2015 Academic All-Big 12 first team honors for the second time in her Jayhawk career. The illustration major went 11-10 in doubles play this season mostly pairing with Luduena.
 
The ITA honor is one to add to the list of academic achievements for Pickens. A Tulsa, Oklahoma, native, she was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team, earning a perfect 4.0 GPA while studying chemical engineering.
 
Harrison, a native of Bradenton, Florida, posted a 12-6 singles spring record and went 16-12 overall in her first season playing collegiate tennis.
 
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