Case Western Reserve University junior Santiago Salazar Garza and graduate student Bryce Ware were each named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Second Team, as announced by the organization on Wednesday.
A total of 132 CWRU student-athletes from all varsity teams have garnered 194 Academic All-America honors since the program's inception. Those numbers include 12 men's tennis players who have secured a total of 18 Academic All-America honors (including 11 total honors since 2023).
Six Spartans across the department have been named Academic All-Americans to date this academic year.
To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration for tennis, a student-athlete must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.50 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings, be selected to an Academic All-District team, and compete in at least 75 percent of competitions with team scoring.
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 programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2025-26 Division III Academic All-America programs.
Salazar Garza earned All-America honors for his play on the court during the 2025-26 season by virtue of winning his first-round match during the NCAA Singles Tournament and reaching the round of 16 of the draw. He played at no. 1 singles for most of the campaign for the Spartans, finishing the year with a record of 23-14 in singles matches, while adding a 13-6 doubles ledger. He was 25th in singles play in the latest ITA rankings and earned All-UAA Second Team for his play at no. 1 singles, while claiming an All-UAA honorable mention for his efforts with Rowan Matorin at no. 2 doubles.
Salazar Garza is a chemical engineering major at CWRU with a 3.962 cumulative grade point average. He has earned UAA All-Academic honors each of his two eligible seasons and has been an ITA Scholar-Athlete twice over his career.
Ware was a key addition to the Spartans' lineup this season, seeing time as a part of the team's no. 1 doubles pairing with Trey Lambright and at no. 6 singles. He earned All-America honors after he and Lambright were the third-seeded duo in the NCAA Doubles Championship and reached the quarterfinals of the draw. He and Lambright are currently ranked sixth in Division III and earned All-UAA First Team honors after going 23-10 together, while Ware went 28-11 overall in doubles play. He added a 12-7 singles record during the year, earning an honorable mention to the All-UAA Team for his work at no. 6 singles.
Ware had a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average as an undergraduate student at Kansas Wesleyan and has a 3.952 GPA during his first year as a Master of Business graduate student at CWRU.
The Spartans reached the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championship for the fifth time in the last six years, finishing the campaign with a 29-9 overall record.
