AUSTIN, Texas – Gustavus men’s tennis player Nick Aney (Jr., Rochester) has been selected to the 2020-21 CoSIDA Academic All-America Men’s At-Large First Team, which was announced Wednesday. Academic All-America Teams recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom.
Aney, a biochemistry major with a 3.99 GPA, earned All-America honors this season after reaching the semifinal round of the NCAA Doubles Championships with partner Alex Budde (So., Menomonee, Wis.). Aney was the recipient of the 2021 MIAC Elite 22 Award, which is presented to the student-athlete at the conference championship with the highest GPA who meets similarly high, sport-specific athletic requirements. Also a 2021 MIAC All-Conference selection, Aney finished the season ranked No. 4 in Division III doubles by the ITA, and No. 22 in singles. He helped the Gusties claim the 2019 and 2021 MIAC regular season and playoff championships, along with two NCAA tournament appearances. Aney holds career marks of 27-17 in singles and 43-13 in doubles.
Aney garners Gustavus’s 121st CoSIDA Academic All-America honor, which ranks first in the MIAC (51 more than the next institution), 12th in NCAA Division III, and 36th among all NCAA divisions. Aney is one of four tennis players on the 15-member First Team, which also includes student-athletes who compete in golf, ice hockey, swimming, lacrosse, and volleyball. There are 16 members on the Second Team and 14 members on the Third Team.
Aney earns the Gustavus men’s tennis program’s 11th CoSIDA Academic All-America honor. The men’s tennis program has now gone three consecutive years with an Academic All-American after Chase Johnson and Michael O’Neil were selected Second Team in 2019 and O’Neil First Team in 2020.
To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
Most Division III Academic All-America Honorees
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology 339
- Washington University 194
- Emory University 192
- Nebraska Wesleyan University 185
- Augustana College 176
- Johns Hopkins University 169
- Carnegie-Mellon University 158
- Calvin 139
- Rose Hulman Institute of Technology 134
- Illinois Wesleyan University 133
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 127
- Gustavus Adolphus College 121