FMU Women’s Tennis Garners ITA Academic Honors

Four members of the Francis Marion University women’s tennis team have been named to the 2023 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II Scholar-Athletes list, while the program has also earned a Team Academic Award for this past season.

The Patriots who garnered this national academic recognition are junior Camryn Cassetori, sophomores Sophia Hansen and Kim Venghaus, and freshman Chelsea Seidewitz. Cassetori earns this honor for the third consecutive year. Francis Marion, which posted a 3.325 team grade point average for the past year, earns the team award for the ninth time in the past 10 seasons. The 2023 list of team honorees includes 97 NCAA Division II programs, including eight from Conference Carolinas and five from the Palmetto State.

To earn the individual award, a student-athlete must have a grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year.

Cassetori hails from Plains, Pa., and posted a 3.91 GPA as an English and Spanish major. On the court, she recorded a 5-5 singles mark and played six doubles matches.
Hansen, a native of London, England, posted a 3.74 GPA as a business and finance major. She registered a 6-10 singles mark, mainly at the No.4 rung, and a 6-6 doubles record at the No.3 position.

Venghaus is a native of Senden, Germany, and recorded a 3.56 GPA while studying management and marketing. She compiled a 5-9 singles record and an 8-10 doubles mark at the No.2 position.
Seidewitz hails from Fassberg, Germany, and compiled a 3.71 GPA as a business and management major. She excelled on the court in her first year, posting a 14-3 singles record, mostly at the No.2 slot, and a 7-11 doubles mark at the No.1 position. FMU recorded a 10-11 record this past season and placed seventh in the Conference Carolinas regular-season standings.

Over the past nine seasons, Patriot women have earned this prestigious ITA national honor on 38 occasions.

Cassetori graduated from Holy Redeemer High School, and Hansen is a product of Langley Park School for Girls. Venghaus is a graduate of Joseph-Haydn-Gymnasium, and Seidewitz is a product of Christian-Gymnasium Hermannsburg.