ALFRED, NY – Five members of the Alfred University women's tennis team were named as Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) 2025 Division III Scholar Athletes. In addition, Alfred University was listed as a 2025 All-Academic Team.

The five honorees for Alfred University are Becca Epping (Mitchell, IN/Bedford North Lawrence), Averill Hollond (Linwood, KS/Basehor-Linwood), Claire Lander (Rochester, NY/Churchville-Chili), Elizabeth Madsen (Portland, OR/Grant), and Alina Zabihailo (Kyiv, Ukraine/Educational Complex #143).

"I am continually impressed with their ability to manage very demanding academic workloads with a high level of commitment to improvement on the tennis court," Head Coach Jake Fisler said. "I am so proud of the women for their hard work and dedication to academic excellence. With a diverse group of majors and studies, to still excel at the highest level on court and in the classroom is so impressive and has become a staple for the women's tennis program here at Alfred University. This is a strong team that will pass along the determination to succeed to the next group, making this program an academic weapon for years to come!" 

To qualify as an All-Academic Team, the cumulative grade point average must be 3.20 or above with all varsity letter-winners being factored in for the current academic year. To qualify as a Scholar Athlete, each student-athlete must have been a varsity letter-winner, have a GPA of at least 3.50 for the current academic year, be listed on the institutional eligibility form and have been enrolled at their present school for at least two semesters anytime between their first and senior years.