LA JOLLA, Calif. – A trio of Tritons earned accolades Tuesday morning for their hard work both in the classroom and on the court. Senior Sophie Pearson and sophomores Naomi Nguyen and Katelyn Vu were all named to the Academic All-District Team as announced by College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA). All three will now move on to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot.
 
Sophie Pearson (Longmont, Colo.) is a nanoengineering major with a 3.59 grade point average. She plans to return to the Tritons next year while pursuing her Master's. On the court, Pearson is a two-time Big West Honorable Mention doubles selection. This year, she's won a career-high nine singles matches to date – including seven on court four.
 
Naomi Nguyen (Goodyear, Ariz.) maintains a 3.56 grade point average as a global health major. She has been a part of 12 doubles wins thus far in 2023 – including five against Big West competition. In singles play, she has more than doubled her win total from her freshman campaign.
 
Katelyn Vu (Chino Hills, Calif.) is a cognitive science – machine learning major and holds a 3.60 cumulative GPA. Despite playing in just her second season, Vu already holds the Division I program record for singles wins with 15 and singles wins in a season (12 so far in 2023). In doubles, Vu's 14 wins are tied for team high this season.
 
A new award in 2023, the Academic All-District® Men's and Women's Tennis Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize 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 tennis honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA — for each gender.
 
To be eligible, student-athletes must hold a 3.50 cumulative grade point average and must have completed at least one full academic year at the nominating institution. In addition, they must have competed in at least 50% of the team's matches this spring.
 
The 10-win Tritons are in their third Division I season, more than doubling their season win total from last year. UC San Diego recently accepted an invitation to compete in the first Universal Tennis College NIT Championship to be conducted next week in Metro Atlanta. Tournament draws are expected to be announced soon.

Academically, the women's tennis program posted the highest team grade point average in the Athletics Department during winter quarter.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.