Aug. 29, 2006

SKILLMAN, N.J. - Baylor men's tennis' Michal Kokta (Prague, Czech Republic) has been named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Scholar-Athlete it was announced recently. Kokta, a senior economic and finance major, becomes the first Baylor men's tennis player to earn the recognition and is only one of 226 honored nationally.

In order to earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status a player must meet the following criteria: 1.) be a varsity letter winner, 2.) have a grade point average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year, and 3.) have been enrolled at their present school for at least 2 semesters (including freshman thorough senior year).

As a junior in 2005-06, Kokta helped the Bears reach the NCAA Championship semifinals and finished the season ranked No. 34, led the team in singles victories with a 38-9 mark, which ranked No. 5 on BU's singles season victory list, and posted a 21-5 dual match record including a 6-1 mark in league play. He teamed with Lars Poerschke at No. 1 doubles and the duo was 16-2 on the season and the 11th-ranked tandem won 10 in a row from Feb. 24 - April 19. Kokta owned the team's most doubles wins in 2006 at 26-3 and was All-Big 12 in both singles and doubles. In addition, he was named a 2006 Academic All-Big 12 (first team) selection and earned ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District first team honors. He has been named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll every semester since his arrival at Baylor.

For a complete listing, please visit: http://www.itatennis.com