July 22, 2005

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara University men's tennis members Ben Hidalgo, Jan Macek, and Bobby Rasmussen have all been named Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Scholar Athletes for the 2004-05 season.

"I'm very happy for these three young men, as their academic accomplishments are impressive," head coach George Husack said. "They worked hard juggling and managing a demanding schedule on the court and in the classroom."

This latest honor is an addition to an already decorated resume of academic achievements for Hidalgo, as this year alone he earned first team honors for the Arthur Ashe Scholar Award, as well as a spot on the WCC All-Academic team for men's tennis and the WCC Commissioner's Cup Honor Roll. The Plano, Texas, native was also named Bronco Scholar Athlete of the Week. Hidalgo graduated with a master of business administration from the Leavey School of Business in June with an impressive 3.64 GPA. This is the third consecutive year Hidalgo has been named an ITA Scholar Athlete selection.

Macek, a returning junior from Freising, Germany, receives this honor for the first time in his career. He was also named to the 2004-05 WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll and is a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. He is currently pursuing a degree in finance.

This is the second consecutive year that Rasmussen has earned ITA Scholar Athlete honors. A returning junior, the Colorado native has also been named to the WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll both years and has been selected as the Bronco Scholar Athlete of the Week. He is currently enrolled in the Accelerated Cooperative Education (ACE) honors program for undergraduate business majors.

In order to be eligible for ITA Scholar-Athlete selection, a player must be a varsity letter winner, have a grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) for the current academic year, and have been enrolled at their present school for at least two semesters. This award honors freshman through senior years.