Six Titans Earn ITA Scholar-Athlete Honors, Men’s Tennis Notches All-Academic Team Award

Titans one of six CCIW institutions to earn team award

7/23/2025 11:05:00 AM

ITA Release

TEMPE, Ariz. - Six members of the Illinois Wesleyan University men's tennis team earned Scholar-Athlete honors from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, announced by the organization Wednesday, July 23. As a squad, the Titans earned the All-Academic Team accolade after boasting an impressive 3.78 GPA.

Fifth-year Ryan McCoy (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Rolling Meadows), juniors Griffin Hammond (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township), Ian Turnbull (Bloomington, Ill.-Bloomington), and Ben Vigneri (Casper, Wyo.-Phillips Exeter Academy), and sophomores Thad Dillow (Effingham, Ill.-Effingham) and Chase Tomecki (Downers Grove, Ill.-Downers Grove South) represented the Green and White, earning scholar-athlete honors.

In order to earn the Scholar-Athlete Award, one must have a GPA of at least 3.5 for the current academic year. For a team to earn All-Academic status, the program must have a team GPA of at least 3.2.

A chemistry major, McCoy earns his second straight academic honor after notching a 3.67 GPA during the spring season. The fifth-year appeared in 15 dual matches over the course of the season, and put together a 6-9 singles record, all coming at the No. 3 singles spot, and a 5-11 mark in doubles play. McCoy went 1-1 at No. 1 doubles, and was 4-10 in the No. 2 doubles spot, including a record of 4-10 playing alongside Dillow.

Majoring in environmental studies, Hammond nets his third scholar-athlete honor, as he posted a 3.92 GPA this season. A two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honoree, Hammond appeared in all 18 dual matches and one tournament for the Titans. The Metamora, Ill. product finished his junior campaign with a singles record of 8-13, playing predominantly in the No. 5 singles spot, and was 6-14 in doubles contests. Spending the majority of the time at No. 3 doubles, Hammond paired up with Tomecki, as the duo went 5-12 together.

Turnbull collects his first academic accolade after posting a 3.67 GPA during the 2024-25 season. A computer science major, Turnbull has commanded the top singles and doubles spot since his arrival on campus, and is a three-time Second Team All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin honoree. The junior went 10-13 in singles play this season, and was 11-13 in doubles action. Pairing up mainly with Vigneri, the two went 10-11 together.

A kinesiology and allied health major, Vigneri records his second scholar-athlete honor, as he finished the year with a 3.93 GPA. Also having been a two-time CSC Academic All-District awardee, Vigneri appeared in 17 duals and two tournaments over the course of the season. The junior finished with an overall singles record of 11-12, including a 9-8 mark at No. 2 singles. He added a 10-12 record in doubles play in the top spot, with all but one match alongside Turnbull.

Dillow picks up his second academic accolade after posting a 3.84 GPA as a finance major. The sophomore, who earned his first CSC Academic All-District honor, went 8-13 in singles play, spending the majority of the season at No. 4 singles where he went 5-11. Dillow notched an overall record of 5-16 in paired play, and was 5-13 at No. 2 doubles. The Effingham, Ill. native played the majority of the season with McCoy as his partner.

Posting another perfect 4.0 GPA as a biology major, Tomecki repeats as a scholar-athlete honoree. Adding CSC Academic All-District and Academic All-CCIW honors to his resume, Tomecki broke into the IWU lineup this season, as he appeared in 17 dual matches and one tournament. The sophomore went 5-15 in singles action, including a 4-11 mark at No. 6 doubles. Tomecki finished with an overall record of 6-14 in doubles contests, while he was 5-12 at No. 3 doubles. Tomecki paired up with Hammond in the majority of the paired action, as the duo went 5-12 together.

The Titans were one of 135 programs to earn the All-Academic Team Award, and one of six CCIW institutions. Augustana College, Carroll University, Carthage College, North Central College, and Wheaton College also earned the award. IWU made up six of the 48 student-athletes in the CCIW to receive Scholar-Athlete status.

Print Friendly Version