Three members of the Emory University women's tennis team were recognized Tuesday afternoon by the College Sports Communicators organization as the trio landed on the Women's Tennis Academic All-America team for Division III.
Emily Kantrovitz was one of six members, as well as the only junior, to be named to the Academic All-America First Team while Iris Berman and Eliza McPherron represented the Eagles on the Second Team. Emory matched Claremont-Mudd-Scripps for the most Division III Academic All-Americans for women's tennis for the 2024-25 season.
The three Eagles are the latest Academic All-Americans in Emory University history, bringing the department's overall number to 235 and are the sixth, seventh and eighth Eagles to earn the honor for 2024-25. In addition, the trio are the 14th, 15th and 16th players in Emory women's tennis history to earn the distinction.
Kantrovitz put forth a career-defining season as a junior as she was ranked as the No. 1 singles player in the country and advanced to the singles semifinals of the NCAA Championships. Kantrovitz posted an overall record of 29-6 – the seventh-most wins in a single season in Emory history – and went 16-3 at the No. 1 position as she led the Eagles back to the national team semifinals. Her play at the top of the lineup landed her University Athletic Association Player of the Year honors as well as All-UAA First Team acclaim and earned her a second consecutive All-America nod in singles. In addition, she captured her second straight ITA South Regional singles crown and reached the semifinals at the ITA Cup. Furthermore, she went 16-17 in doubles and finished as the runner-up at both the ITA South Regional and ITA Cup. She carries a 3.98 grade point average while double majoring in Sociology and Political Science.
For Berman, she was a key piece of the lineup as she held down the No. 3 spot in singles and the No. 2 position in doubles while being ranked among the nation's best in both. In singles, Berman reached a ranking high of No. 17 on May 14th and finished 20-5 overall as she won her last 10 matches that reached a conclusion. Her 20 wins ranked second on the team and was 14-3 in the spring. For doubles, Berman and teammate Izzy Antanavicius led the Eagles with a 22-7 record, 12-2 in dual matches, and were ranked inside the top 10 all spring including a high of No. 4 in Division III. Berman secured All-UAA Second Team honors in both singles and doubles and reached the national quarterfinals in doubles with Antanavicius last month. Additionally, Berman advanced to the semifinals of the ITA South Regional in both singles and doubles. She is one of two student-athletes with a 4.00 GPA on either the CSC Academic All-America First and Second Teams and is pursuing a degree in Psychology.
Following three consecutive CSC Academic All-District nominations, McPherron finds her way onto the Academic All-America roster in her final season with the Eagles. As a senior, McPherron solidified the back-half of the Emory lineup with her play at the No. 5 position in singles and at No. 3 doubles while continuing to provide leadership both on and off the court in her team captain role. McPherron went 16-8 in singles, including a 10-6 mark in dual matches, and won a career-high 21 doubles matches, going 21-9, as she earned All-UAA Honorable Mention. Furthermore, McPherron was recognized at Emory as a Sonny Carter Scholarship recipient and was named the winner of the Clyde Partin Award at Emory's annual awards banquet at the end of April. She had a 3.86 GPA as a Biology major.
The CSC Academic All-America team recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. To be nominated, student-athletes must be a key member of their respective teams, maintain at least a 3.50 grade point average and be of sophomore standing or higher.
The Eagle trio were four from women's tennis nominated and honored on the CSC Academic All-District list which was announced last month, along with Antanavicius. Select athletes were then chosen to be placed on the Academic All-America ballot and voted on by College Sports Communicators and Sports Information Directors across all Division III institutions.
To view the full College Sports Communicators announcement, please click here.
