NATCHITOCHES—The Northwestern State women's tennis team's success in the classroom continued this spring as the Lady Demons placed three players on the All-Academic Southland Conference teams, the league announced Thursday.

Patrycja Polanska was named to the first team, while Ela Iwaniuk and Judit Castillo Gargallo made the second team, putting NSU in a tie with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for the most players on the two teams.

It also marked the third straight season NSU has placed three players on the conference's All-Academic team.

"I'm very proud of these ladies who compete at a high level on the court and are so diligent in the classroom," head coach Patric DuBois said.

Nominees must have a minimum 3.00 cumulative grade point average. Voting was done by head coaches, sports information directors and academic advisors of the 13 Southland Conference schools.\

Polanska, a junior from Zakopane, Poland, finished with a team-best 9-3 record at the No. 3 and 4 positions in the shortened season and had a 4.0 GPA in psychology/addiction studies.

She clinched come-from-behind road victories against Lamar and Houston and finished the season winning seven of her final eight matches. This is her first appearance on one of the All-Academic teams.

Joining Polanska on the first team were New Orleans' Ank Vullings, Abilene Christian's Nini Memishishi, Sam Houston State's Sahaja Yamalapalli and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Mariya Shumeika and Camille Townsend.

After putting together a 10-0 start, Vullings was named Student-Athlete of the Year.

Iwaniuk, a senior from Konarskie, Poland, compiled a record of 8-4 out of the No. 2 spot, while maintaining a 3.52 GPA in chemistry.

This is her second Academic All-Conference nod in a row, making the Second Team as well in 2019. Iwaniuk was named Southland Conference Player of the Week onFeb. 25 after leading the Lady Demons to dominant victories against Southern Miss and UTSA. Like Polanska, she ended her seasin on a roll as well, winning five of her final six matches.

Castillo Gargallo, a senior from Teruel, Spain, has been a regular on the All-Academic teams throughout her career. This is her third time being recognized, which is the most appearances on the teams in the conference.

She recorded a 6-3 record at the No. 5 and 6 spots in the rotation, while maintaining a 3.92 GPA in health & exercise science. Her 48 career singles victories are the 16^th most in school history.

Joining Iwaniuk and Castillo Gargallo on the second team are New Orleans' Yurina Asai, UIW's Jelena Dordan, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Maria Maldonado and Central Arkansas' Fuka Nonoyama.
 
2020 Southland Women's Tennis All-Academic Teams
 
Student-Athlete of the Year: Ank Vullings, New Orleans

First Team
Name                           Class          School                                 Hometown                                        Major                                                  GPA
Ank Vullings^               Jr.              New Orleans                         Roermond, Netherlands                  Accounting                                           3.73
Nini Memishishi            Jr.             Abilene Christian                  Tbilisi, Georgia                                 Accounting                                           4.00
Patrycja Polanska     Jr.            Northwestern State               Zakopane, Poland                         Psychology/Addiction Studies         4.00
Mariya Shumeika         So.          A&M-Corpus Christi                Minsk, Belarus                                Biology                                                 4.00
Camille Townsend       So.           A&M-Corpus Christi                Coconut Creek, Florida                  Biology                                                 3.91
Sahaja Yamalapalli2    Jr.           Sam Houston State                  Hyderabad, India                            Food Science/Nutrition                        3.79
 
Second Team
Name                               Class        School                                 Hometown                                        Major                                                 GPA
Yurina Asai                         Sr.          New Orleans                      Nagoya, Japan                                  Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism              4.00
Jelena Dordan                    Sr.          UIW                                   Caplijina, Bosnia & Herzegovenia      Accounting                                         3.91
Judit Castillo Gargallo3   Sr.          Northwestern State         Teruel, Spain                                     Health & Exercise Science              3.92
Ela Iwaniuk2                      Sr.         Northwestern State          Konarskie, Poland                           Chemistry                                          3.52
Maria Maldonado2              Sr.         A&M-Corpus Christi           El Ejido, Spain                                   Finance                                               4.00
Fuka Nonoyama                 So.        Central Arkansas                Myoshi, Japan                                  Undecided                                           3.81
 
^Student-Athlete of the Year
2-Two-Time All-Academic Selection
3-Three-Time All-Academic Selection