University of Delaware Athletics
Denny LaMachia Tabbed CAA Women's Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year
6/23/2016 4:29:00 PM | Women's Tennis
RICHMOND, Va. – Rising graduate student Denny LaMachia (Hopkinton, Mass./Hopkinton) was named Thursday as Delaware's first-ever Colonial Athletic Association Women's Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2015-16 academic year.
LaMachia was one of 11 student-athletes from six different schools who excelled both athletically and academically to earn Scholar-Athlete accolades for their respective spring sport.
A finance major with a perfect 4.0 overall grade point average, LaMachia is a member of the CAA All-Academic team, ITA All-Academic team and the National College Athlete Honor Society while also earning Dean's List honors in each of her four semesters at the University of Delaware.
She also serves as the team's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative and graduated summa cum laude in May with a Bachelor of Science degree.
On the court, LaMachia recorded a team-best 15 singles wins from the No. 2 spot while notching a team-high 17 individual doubles victories. She will return to the court for the 2016-17 season as a graduate student to complete her final year of eligibility.
“What an outstanding honor for Denny to be recognized as the CAA Scholar Athlete of the Year for women's tennis – especially with the number of successful and talented players in this conference,” remarked Delaware head coach Laura Travis '89. “Having coached 21 years with the men and 24 years with the women, we have had many gifted, driven, and successful student athletes come through the University of Delaware tennis programs but Denny's efforts and accomplishments are extraordinary. Considering she began her collegiate career at University of Richmond with the highest GPA of any freshman student-athlete; transferred to Delaware and was able to complete her undergraduate education in a total of three years (with a 4.0 GPA); and will earn her Master's degree in one year during her fourth year of eligibility is unique. Additionally, she is one of our SAAC representatives, our locker room leader, and one of the fiercest competitors on our team. We are delighted that she will be able to play another year and serve in a leadership role as co-captain. She has established a legacy of academic and athletic excellence for the next generations to emulate. We will be rooting for her in her quest to maintain her 4.0 while fitting two years worth of graduate work into one year, guiding the team, striving for personal success on court, and sustaining her roles with SAAC and our University/local community. If anyone can do this, Denny can!”
The CAA honors one Scholar-Athlete in each of its 21 championship sports. Nominees for the award must be a starter or important reserve on their team and must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25. The winners were selected by a vote of the media relations directors at each CAA institution.
She is also the first women's tennis student-athlete to receive conference Scholar-Athlete recognition since Tara Finnegan was named the North Atlantic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1992. Then Laura Leroy, Travis was picked as the 1989 East Coast Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year for her senior campaign at Delaware.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please contact Maggie Hayon | mhayon@udel.edu | O: 302-831-6389 | C: 920-912-6635
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