SAN BRUNO, Calif. – The West Coast Conference recognized four members of the Santa Clara men's tennis team with All-Academic honors on Wednesday.  Valentin Faure was named to the WCC All-Academic Team while Luca Bluett, Alexander Watanabe Eriksson and Luca Lemaitre were named as honorable mentions. 

At the conclusion of each athletic season, the WCC selects an all-academic squad for each WCC-sponsored sport.  To be considered, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average, while being a starter or important reserve (participate in at least 50 percent of the institution's completed contests) with legitimate athletic credentials and have at least sophomore athletic and academic standing with at least one year in residence completed at the nominating institution.

Faure, a redshirt sophomore, has a cumulative grade point average of 3.841 to earn one of the 13 spots on the All-Academic Team.  The economics (BS) major has a 14-8 overall record in doubles including 13-4 in dual matches and 20-6 overall in singles, 15-3 in dual.  He is tied for the team-lead in overall doubles and dual match wins.  Twelve of the dual wins have come at doubles court three.  Faure and his doubles partner Ferran Redza were named West Coast Conference Doubles Team of the Week on Feb. 24.  
 
In singles, where Faure was named All-WCC honorable mention, he leads the team in both overall and dual wins.  All 15 dual wins were on court five. 
 
Bluett, a management major, has a 3.270 GPA.  This season, he has a 14-11 overall record in doubles including 8-7 in dual matches and 15-6 overall in singles, 11-2 in dual.  He has played atop the doubles lineup and at court six in singles all season.  Bluett and his doubles partner John Kim were named All-WCC doubles first team and are currently ranked as the No. 63 doubles team in the nation and have been ranked in the last eight rankings reaching a season-high of No. 17 on Feb. 4.  The Broncos tandem defeated two doubles teams ranked in the top-12 this fall at the ITA Kickoff Weekend tournament and was named WCC Doubles Team of the Week on Jan. 27.
 
Last fall, Bluett and Kim became the first-ever Santa Clara men's tennis players to qualify for the NCAA Individual Championships.
 
Watanabe Eriksson, an economics (BS) major, has a 3.590 GPA.  The two-time Broncos captain has a 3-6 overall record in doubles including 2-0 in dual matches and 14-13 overall in singles, 8-7 in dual.  An All-WCC singles first team selection, Watanabe Eriksson has primarily played atop the singles lineup going 6-6.  He is 2-1 on court two.

Lemaitre has a 3.471 GPA majoring in accounting.  The junior has a 12-11 overall record in doubles including 9-7 in dual matches and 14-10 overall in singles, 10-6 in dual.  He has primarily played at the No. 2 spot in both the doubles and singles lineups.  Lemaitre and his doubles partner Tiago Boschmans reached a ranking of No. 57 on March 17.  The duo also defeated defeated No. 80 Miguel Avendano and Lucca Liu of UC Santa Barbara.
 
An All-WCC singles first team selection, Lemaitre finished the regular season with an eight match win streak in singles including the match clincher against San Diego's Stian Klaassen 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 to secure Santa Clara a share of the WCC regular season championship for the first time in program history.
 
This is the first All-WCC academic honor for Faure and Bluett.  It is the second recognition for Watanabe Eriksson and Lemaitre.    

Santa Clara next plays at the WCC Tournament starting Thursday against Saint Mary's.

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