SEARCY, Ark. — The accolades continue to roll in for the historic 2026 Harding men's tennis season, as the Bisons were recognized nationally for their excellence in the classroom.
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced its annual academic awards on Tuesday, July 14, naming Harding an ITA All-Academic Team, while nine individual Bisons earned ITA Scholar-Athlete distinction.
Harding was one of just 70 Division II men's tennis programs across the nation to secure the All-Academic Team honor. To qualify, a program must achieve a cumulative team grade-point average of 3.20 or higher on a 4.00 scale, factoring in all varsity letter winners. Under head coach Craig Kirchgessner, the Bisons far exceeded that standard, posting a stellar 3.38 team GPA.
Individually, nine Bisons met the stringent requirements to be named ITA Scholar-Athletes, which requires a student-athlete to maintain a minimum 3.50 GPA for the current academic year while being listed on the institutional eligibility form. Across Division II, 548 men's student-athletes received the honor.
The nine Bisons recognized as ITA Scholar-Athletes are:
The academic honors provide a fitting conclusion to a monumental year for the program. On the courts, the Bisons finished the season ranked No. 29 in the nation after posting a 17-8 record, securing the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, and advancing all the way to the NCAA Round of 16 in Surprise, Arizona.
