NEW ORLEANS — For the second consecutive year, Xavier University of Louisiana’s women earned an All-Academic team award from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and have three ITA Scholar-Athletes: Yi Chen Pao, Angelica De Vincenzis and Lindsey Dixon.
     The ITA announced the awards Thursday.
     The XULA women qualified for ITA All-Academic by reaching the minimum 3.20 team GPA for the 2019-20 year. Criteria for ITA Scholar-Athlete includes being a varsity letterwinner and compiling a 3.50 GPA during the recently completed academic year.
     Pao (Taichung City, Taiwan) and De Vincenzis (Montebelluna, Italy) earned their honors for the third consecutive year. Dixon (Savannah, Ga./Savannah Christian Preparatory School) achieved it as a freshman. Pao graduated from XULA in May.
     All-time 11 XULA women have received a collective 16 ITA All-Academic awards.
     The Gold Nuggets also were stellar, as usual, on the court, winning 10-of-11 dual matches and reaching No. 3 in the final NAIA coaches poll. Angela Charles-Alfred and Lailaa Bashir were the ITA Cup small-college doubles national champion.