Photo by: Eric Roth
Wake Forest Earns 2024 ITA Academic Team Honor, Places Four Players on Scholar-Athlete List
7/22/2024 1:45:00 PM | Women's Tennis
More academic accolades for the Demon Deacons.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Summer awards continue to go the way of Wake Forest women's tennis, as the program was named a recipient of the 2024 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic Teams while four Demon Deacons additionally earned ITA Scholar-Athlete honors.
Sankavi Gownder, Brooke Killingsworth, Jingyi Li and Casie Wooten all notched individual recognition. It was the third and second career nod for Killingsworth and Wooten, respectively.
To be named an ITA Scholar-Athlete, one must meet the following requirements:
Sankavi Gownder | Freshman | Cypress, Texas | Undeclared
Gownder impressed during her first collegiate year, ranking second on the squad in combined singles wins through the fall and spring (17), dual-match singles wins (14) and combined doubles wins for the fall and spring (15). She spent the majority of her time at the No. 5 position within Wake Forest's singles lineup while teaming up with senior Mia Ahmad and sophomore Whitley Pate mostly for doubles. The Texas native captured more doubles wins in non-dual match competition compared to any other Deacon, finishing with eight. On Jan. 16, Gownder picked up her first career ranked singles victory at South Carolina's annual Carolina Kickoff, defeating No. 100 Eleonora Molinaro of Tennessee in a straight-sets decision.
Brooke Killingsworth | Senior | Rogers, Ark. | Health & Exercise Science
A recipient of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) 2024 Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award, Killingsworth helped pace things as an experienced player and finished third on the roster in singles victories for dual-match play (12). She took over the No. 2 singles spot within the Deacs' lineup for the entire spring and totaled four solo wins over ranked opponents, a mark that finished second-best on the roster behind her classmate, Casie Wooten. Killingsworth's strong play in doubles alongside Marcella Cruz led to the pairing being named ACC Doubles Team of the Week on Feb. 20, earning the nod as the first-ever Wake Forest tandem to win the new honor.
Jingyi Li | Sophomore | Bradenton, Fla. | Economics and Philosophy
Li made five appearances for the spring season, winning each of her three completed singles matches in dual play. The sophomore played with a handful of teammates for doubles through the fall and spring, going 4-4 overall. Li won her first fall showing over Ohio State's Dani Schoenly on Sept. 15 in a three-set victory. She mainly competed at the No. 6 singles spot for each of her spring matchups.
Casie Wooten | Senior | Torrance, Calif. | Health & Exercise Science
Named to the 2024 All-ACC Singles Third Team, Wooten again shined during her final collegiate season while serving as team captain. She was the lone Deac to be ranked in the ITA Singles section for the spring's entirety, reaching as high as No. 25 in the country, and made a second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Singles Championships for the postseason. Wooten led Wake Forest with 15 singles wins in dual play while registering seven wins over ranked opponents for the entire year. She collected six wins against ACC competition and also performed well in doubles, tallying 12 victories for the spring -- the second-highest mark on the roster. Earning ACC Player of the Week honors on two separate occasions (Jan. 16 and Feb. 20), Wooten became the first Wake Forest player to win ACC Player of the Week twice in the same season since Bea Bielik in 2002.
Just over a month ago on June 18, the Deacs tied a program-best record with six selections named to the 2024 All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Academic Team – Mia Ahmad, Nevena Carton, Marcella Cruz, Sankavi Gownder, Brooke Killingsworth and Casie Wooten. Wake Forest has now reached five consecutive seasons of placing four or more players on the yearly lists and have had at least one selection in each season since 2014.
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Sankavi Gownder, Brooke Killingsworth, Jingyi Li and Casie Wooten all notched individual recognition. It was the third and second career nod for Killingsworth and Wooten, respectively.
To be named an ITA Scholar-Athlete, one must meet the following requirements:
- Have a grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year
- Be listed on the institutional eligibility form
- Have a team grade point average of 3.2 or above (on a 4.00 scale),
- All student-athletes included should be listed on the institutional eligibility form, and
- All varsity letter winners should be factored into the cumulative team GPA for the current academic year
Sankavi Gownder | Freshman | Cypress, Texas | Undeclared
Gownder impressed during her first collegiate year, ranking second on the squad in combined singles wins through the fall and spring (17), dual-match singles wins (14) and combined doubles wins for the fall and spring (15). She spent the majority of her time at the No. 5 position within Wake Forest's singles lineup while teaming up with senior Mia Ahmad and sophomore Whitley Pate mostly for doubles. The Texas native captured more doubles wins in non-dual match competition compared to any other Deacon, finishing with eight. On Jan. 16, Gownder picked up her first career ranked singles victory at South Carolina's annual Carolina Kickoff, defeating No. 100 Eleonora Molinaro of Tennessee in a straight-sets decision.
Brooke Killingsworth | Senior | Rogers, Ark. | Health & Exercise Science
A recipient of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) 2024 Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award, Killingsworth helped pace things as an experienced player and finished third on the roster in singles victories for dual-match play (12). She took over the No. 2 singles spot within the Deacs' lineup for the entire spring and totaled four solo wins over ranked opponents, a mark that finished second-best on the roster behind her classmate, Casie Wooten. Killingsworth's strong play in doubles alongside Marcella Cruz led to the pairing being named ACC Doubles Team of the Week on Feb. 20, earning the nod as the first-ever Wake Forest tandem to win the new honor.
Jingyi Li | Sophomore | Bradenton, Fla. | Economics and Philosophy
Li made five appearances for the spring season, winning each of her three completed singles matches in dual play. The sophomore played with a handful of teammates for doubles through the fall and spring, going 4-4 overall. Li won her first fall showing over Ohio State's Dani Schoenly on Sept. 15 in a three-set victory. She mainly competed at the No. 6 singles spot for each of her spring matchups.
Casie Wooten | Senior | Torrance, Calif. | Health & Exercise Science
Named to the 2024 All-ACC Singles Third Team, Wooten again shined during her final collegiate season while serving as team captain. She was the lone Deac to be ranked in the ITA Singles section for the spring's entirety, reaching as high as No. 25 in the country, and made a second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Singles Championships for the postseason. Wooten led Wake Forest with 15 singles wins in dual play while registering seven wins over ranked opponents for the entire year. She collected six wins against ACC competition and also performed well in doubles, tallying 12 victories for the spring -- the second-highest mark on the roster. Earning ACC Player of the Week honors on two separate occasions (Jan. 16 and Feb. 20), Wooten became the first Wake Forest player to win ACC Player of the Week twice in the same season since Bea Bielik in 2002.
Just over a month ago on June 18, the Deacs tied a program-best record with six selections named to the 2024 All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Academic Team – Mia Ahmad, Nevena Carton, Marcella Cruz, Sankavi Gownder, Brooke Killingsworth and Casie Wooten. Wake Forest has now reached five consecutive seasons of placing four or more players on the yearly lists and have had at least one selection in each season since 2014.
Follow the Deacs
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | GoDeacs.com
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