Eight Knights Named ITA Scholar-Athletes

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2026 ITA Scholar Athletes Division III Men

WAVERLY, Iowa — The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced its 2026 Division III Men’s ITA Scholar-Athletes and All-Academic Teams, with the Wartburg College men’s tennis program earning eight academic honors, including its fifth consecutive ITA All-Academic Team distinction.

Milan Lecic, Benny Ramker, Keegan Weber, Cole Palese, Kellen Jones, Noah Vint, Robert Matera, and Jack Meincke were each named ITA Scholar-Athletes, recognizing their academic excellence during the 2025-26 season.

Matera, Jones, and Weber each collected their second career ITA Scholar-Athlete honor, while Lecic, Ramker, Palese, Vint, and Meincke earned the distinction for the first time.

As a team, the Knights posted a GPA of 3.66 across the 2025-26 academic year. 

 

To be named an ITA Scholar-Athlete, one must meet the following requirements:

Have a grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year
Be listed on the institutional eligibility form

To be named an ITA All-Academic Team, programs must meet the following requirements:

Have a team grade point average of 3.2 or above (on a 4.00 scale),
All student-athletes included should be listed on the institutional eligibility form, and
All varsity letter winners should be factored into the cumulative team GPA for the current academic year

 
Academia is an integral aspect of the college tennis experience and adds to the unique student-athlete experience found on college campuses across the nation.
Within the sport of tennis, student-athletes continue to exceed expectations in the classroom and on the court. In 2026, 1,151 Division III Men’s student-athletes were named ITA Scholar-Athletes, and 147 Men’s tennis programs were awarded the All-Academic Team distinction.
 
ITA ACADEMIC
Team   2007-08; 2016-17; 2017-18, 2018-19, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25, 2025-26
 
Individuals      
2004-05            Blake Flores, Mark Giesmann
2005-06            Nick Wuertz
2006-07            Tyler Schlader
2007-08            Anthony Greco, Andrew Kahler
2008-09            Andrew Kahler
2009-10            Mitch Eslick, Andrew Kahler, Josh Trueblood
2016-17            Jeremy Ellerby, Brandon Hornback, Colin Jacobs, Alexander Jedlicka-Kriz, Grant Kincaid, Eliot Kuchera, William McDonald
2017-18            Connor Barnard, Jeremy Ellerby, Colin Jacobs, Grant Kincaid, Eliott Kuchera, Jonathon Lansink, Andrew Linkletter, Will McDonald, Nate Meister
2018-19            Lucas Huffman, Colin Jacobs, Eliott Kuchera, Jonathon Lansink, Andrew Linkletter, William McDonald, Samuel Nettleton
2019-20            Lucas Huffman, Grant Kincaid, Andrew Linkletter, Luke Smith
2021-22            Robert Arbuckle, Hunter Gerhardt, Joseph Haag, Lucas Huffman, Jeffrey Miller, Kyle Sehlin, Luke Smith, Griffin Steiniger, Andrew Wilkins, Shimon Yonekura, Samuel Yoon (11)
2022-23            Joseph Haag, Brock Hanna, Lucas Huffman, Kellen Jones, Ryuki Motsumoto, Declan Schuessler, Kyle Sehlin, Elijah Swanstrom, Shimon Yonekura
2023-24            Logan Augustine, Cade Davis, Joseph Haag, Kellen Jones, Ryuki Motsumoto, Sean Oslund, Declan Schuessler, Elijah Swanstrom
2024-25            Keegan Weber, Joseph Haag, Kellen Jones, Robert Matera
2025-26            Milan Lecic, Benny Ramker, Keegan Weber, Cole Palese, Kellen Jones, Noah Vint, Robert Matera, Jack Meincke (8)