Groener, Suzuki, and Thompson Earn CSC Academic All-District Honors

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Three Willamette University women's tennis players have been named to the 2023-24 NCAA Division III Academic All-District Women's Tennis Team, as determined by the College Sports Communicators (CSC. Willamette's Academic All-District this season were Anika Groener (Sr., Bend, OR/Summit HS), Richelle Suzuki (Jr., Mililani, HI/Mililani HS), and Ruby Thompson (Grad., Bay City, OR/Tillamook HS). Suzuki and Thompson received Academic All-District honors for the second year in a row.

A panel of CSC members will determine which Academic All-District honorees are eligible to be voted onto the NCAA Division III Academic All-America Women's Tennis Team. The Academic All-America Team will be released on Tuesday, June 4. Players nominated for the CSC All-District Team were starters or key reserves with cumulative grade point averages of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale. They played in at least 70% of their team's matches. Each nominated student-athlete was at least a sophomore in academic and athletic standing.

The Willamette women's tennis team was led by Director of Tennis Tyler Linscott in his second season with the Bearcats. During 2023-24, the Bearcats finished with a 3-13 overall record, including a 1-6 record in the Northwest Conference. Willamette defeated the University of Puget Sound twice, winning 6-3 in a non-conference match in Salem, Oregon, on Feb. 11, and earning a 5-4 NWC victory in Tacoma, Washington, on March 9.

NCAA Division III Academic All-District

Anika Groener (Sr.) played in both singles and doubles in all 16 dual matches, as she set personal-highs for competing in singles and doubles. She saw action at #3 singles in 12 matches and played at #2 singles in four matches. She participated in 13 matches at #1 doubles and in three matches at #3 doubles. She was 4-8 at #3 singles and went 2-1 at #3 doubles. She provided the winning team point in Willamette's 5-4 win at Puget Sound as she was victorious at #3 singles in a close, three-set match.

During her WU career, Groener competed in 37 singles matches and 38 doubles matches in dual meets for the Bearcats. She was 8-9 in her career at #3 singles.

Groener recently graduated from Willamette with a bachelor's degree in Sociology and a minor in American Ethnic studies. Through the 2023 fall semester, she owned a 3.82 cumulative GPA. She was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, the student-athlete national honorary society, in 2024.

Richelle Suzuki (Jr.) was involved in 15 of Willamette's 16 dual matches, while playing both singles and doubles 15 times. She played in eight matches at #2 singles and competed in 12 matches at #1 doubles. In 2022-23, she was involved in all 12 dual matches in singles and in doubles. She played mostly #2 singles, but also played two matches at #1 singles. She played all of her doubles matches at #1 doubles.

In her three seasons with the Bearcats, Suzuki has played in 38 singles matches and 38 doubles matches. Twenty-six of her singles matches have been at #2 singles, with nine matches at #1 singles and three at #3 singles. She has played 35 doubles matches at the #1 position and three matches at #3 doubles.

Suzuki is double majoring in Psychology and Japanese Studies at Willamette. She completed the 2023 fall semester with a 3.82 cumulative GPA. Suzuki was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma in 2024. She was named to the NWC All-Sportsmanship team in 2022-23.

Ruby Thompson (Grad.) competed in singles in all 16 of the Bearcats dual matches this year, while playing in 15 doubles matches.  She played 12 matches at #5 singles and saw action in six matches at #2 doubles, plus four matches at #1 doubles. She was 5-10 in doubles this year, including NWC wins against Puget Sound, Whitworth University, and Pacific University.

Last year, she played in five singles matches and 11 doubles matches. All of her doubles matches were at the #2 position, where she was 4-7. Over the past four seasons, Thompson has played in 32 singles matches and 42 double matches. She played at #4, #5, and #6 singles. In doubles, she competed at the #2 position in 17 matches over the past two years, but also competed at the top doubles position four times this year. She saw action at #3 doubles in 21 matches.

Thompson graduated from WU with a bachelor's degree in International Studies and a minor in Data Science in 2023. She recently completed her first year at the Atkinson Graduate School of Management. She achieved a 3.67 cumulative undergraduate GPA and registered a 3.78 cumulative graduate GPA through the fall semester. Thompson was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma in 2023.