Jan. 24, 2013

OXFORD, Miss. -- The Ole Miss men’s and women’s tennis teams received the Chancellor’s Cup during halftime ceremonies honoring student-athlete’s academic achievements at the Rebel basketball game Thursday night.

The Chancellor’s Cup is awarded to the men’s and women’s varsity teams with the highest cumulative grade point average among all sports at Ole Miss for the spring 2012 and fall 2012 semesters.

Since its inception, no other men's team has ever won the Chancellor’s Cup.  The men’s tennis team is the recipient of the men’s Chancellor’s Cup for the 10th year in a row.  The women’s team earned the Chancellor’s Cup for the fourth time in six years.  

In 2012, the Rebels made their 19th consecutive NCAA appearance, advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the 16th time and finished the year ranked No. 14 nationally.  Individual honors included a record four All-Americans and the SEC Freshman of the Year.   Off the court, the Rebels received the ITA All-Academic Team Award for the seventh time.  

“Our philosophy is success in the classroom leads to success on the court,” head coach Billy Chadwick said.  “I am extremely proud of this team and it is a tribute to their hard work to again be awarded the Chancellor’s Cup.

“We would especially like to thank Derek Cowherd, senior associate athletics director for academic support, as well as Justin Light, who works with our team on a daily basis.”

The Rebels are presently ranked No. 13 in the nation and will host Columbia Friday at 2 p.m. at the Gillom Sports Center as part of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend.  

The women earned their fourth straight NCAA appearance in 2012 and ended the year ranked No. 18 in the nation.  Individual honors included two All-Americans and four All-SEC honorees.   Off the court, the Rebels earned the ITA All-Academic Team Award for the 16th consecutive year, which requires a minimum 3.2 cumulative grade point average.   

“It’s a great honor to win the chancellor’s cup for the third time in the last four years,” head coach Mark Beyers said.  “It’s a true testament to how hard the girls work in the classroom as well on the court.  This fall we had a 3.41 GPA and had eight of nine players on the honor roll, which is a phenomenal accomplishment.  My hats off to the players for their
hard work and the effort they put into to not only winning in the SEC, but achieving a high level in the classroom.

“We also want to thank our academic counselor Zack Nutt and the entire academic support office for their support and the excellent job they do.”

The women are currently ranked No. 19 in the nation and will host Yale Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Gillom Sports Center as part of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend.  

Also honored at halftime were students who made the University’s Chancellor’s Honor Roll (3.75-4.00 semester GPA), Dean’s Honor Roll (3.50-3.74) and the UMAA honor roll (3.00 or higher) during the 2012 calendar year.