Martinez, Blanco, Cortez named to CSC Academic All-District Team

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Three WKU Women’s Tennis players have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.

Samantha Martinez, Sofia Blanco, and Paola Cortez each earned the honor for the second consecutive year. The 2024 Academic All-District 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.

“We’re just really happy to see the three of them were honored for their achievements off the court,” WKU Women’s Tennis Head Coach Greg Davis said. “We’re all about building great student-athletes on and off the court, so we’re extremely happy they’re being honored.”

Martinez, a native of La Guaira, Venezuela, is a Marketing/Social Media Marketing major with a 4.0 GPA. She was named to the CSC Academic All-District Team, CUSA All-Academic Team, and as an ITA Scholar Athlete in 2023, and has already received CUSA All-Academic honors this year. In her final season in 2024, Martinez extended her lead as the program’s all-time career doubles wins leader with her 15-6 record in doubles play. The 15 doubles wins were seventh-most in a single season in program history, and her 56 career doubles wins are the top mark in program history. Martinez also went 3-1 in singles play in 2024.

Blanco is a Business Data Analytics/Computer Science major who posted a 4.0 GPA during the 2023-24 academic year. Like Martinez, Blanco was named to the CSC Academic All-District Team, CUSA All-Academic Team, and was ITA Scholar Athlete in 2023, and has also received CUSA All-Academic Team recognition again this year. The Caracas, Venezuela, native was named to the All-CUSA Singles Second Team after posting an 18-2 record in singles play during the spring of 2024, winning at least one match at each of the No. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 positions. Her 18 singles wins were tied for second-most in a single season in program history, and she’s currently third in program history in singles wins with 40. Blanco also recorded eight doubles wins in 2024, and she finished the season second on the program’s career doubles wins list with 38. Blanco was named CUSA Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Week on March 13.

Cortez is also a CSC Academic All-District Team honoree for the second consecutive year. The Cochabamba, Bolivia, native recorded a 3.83 GPA during the 2023-24 academic year in her Recreation and Sport Administration graduate program. Cortez went 7-11 in singles play during the spring of 2024 while competing primarily at the No. 1 position, and she went 12-6 in doubles play at the No. 1 position. She finished her WKU career tied for fifth all-time in program history in career singles wins with 32 and fourth on the program’s career doubles wins list with 33.