Four members of the Case Western Reserve University women's tennis team received Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Communicators, as announced by the organization on Tuesday.
Senior Pallavi Goculdas and juniors Hannah Kassaie, Lily McCloskey, and Radha Patel were each recognized for their performances on the courts and in the classroom.
Student-athletes must be at least a sophomore and earn at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average while also playing in at least 70% of team matches. Kassaie and McCloskey were each selected as Academic All-America finalists, advancing to the ballot for consideration for Academic All-America honors. CSC members will vote for three teams of Academic All-Americans, which will be announced Tuesday, June 4.
Goculdas is earning her second career Academic All-District Team selection after receiving honors last year. She is a three-time University Athletic Association All-Academic selection and won the 2023 ITA Division III Central Region Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award. This season, Goculdas is 6-0 in singles play and 24-6 in doubles play, including a 13-5 record in dual matches. For her career, she has a 47-23 record in doubles play and 27-13 record in singles play. A two-time All-UAA honoree for her play at second doubles, Goculdas has a 3.97 cumulative GPA as a finance major.
Kassaie, who was the CSC Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for Division III Women's Tennis last year, is receiving her second career Academic All-District selection. She received selection to both the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships for the third consecutive season after completing the regular season with a singles record of 23-4 and doubles record of 26-3, the most doubles victories in a single season in program history. For her career, Kassaie is 67-10 in singles play, the most singles wins in program history, and 63-14 in doubles play. She has earned four All-UAA First Team and four All-America honors in her career. A nutrition major with a cumulative GPA of 4.00, Kassaie has received two UAA All-Academic honors in her career.
McCloskey was named to the CSC Academic All-America First Team last season and is earning her second career Academic All-District Team selection. This season, she earned selection to the NCAA Doubles Championship for the third year in a row and ended the regular season with a singles record of 15-8 and doubles record of 25-3. Across three seasons, McCloskey is 41-22 in singles play and 63-17 in doubles play, earning two All-America honors, two All-UAA First Team honors, and two All-UAA Second Team selections. A biomedical engineering major with a 4.00 cumulative GPA, McCloskey has earned two UAA All-Academic honors in her career.
Patel is receiving her second career CSC Academic All-District honor. She finished the 2023-24 season with a singles record of 15-7 and doubles record of 15-9, including an 11-7 record in dual matches. Across her career, Patel is 52-16 in singles matches and 46-23 in doubles matches, earning All-UAA Second Team selection in 2023 and All-UAA honorable mention each of the last two seasons. A psychology major with a 4.00 cumulative GPA, she has received UAA All-Academic honors twice in her career.
The 2023-24 Academic All-District Women's Tennis Team, selected by the CSC, recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America program separately recognizes women's tennis honorees in four divisions—NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA.
The Division III CSC Academic All-America program is partially financially supported by the NCAA Division III national governance structure to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2023-24 Division III Academic All-America programs.
The Spartans reached the Third Round of the NCAA Championship for just the second time in program history after defeating 14th-ranked Carleton 5-0 in the Second Round in Whitewater, Wisconsin. Despite falling to third-ranked Chicago in the round of 16, Kassaie and McCloskey will continue their seasons in the national singles and doubles championships beginning on Saturday, May 25.
