Charlotte, NC – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) selected Dion Chever, Nichelle Heard, and Daniel Herrera from Johnson C. Smith University amongst their 2012 scholar-athletes. JCSU, along with Chowan and Virginia State, were the only institutions from the CIAA to have student-athletes recognized for this honor.

In order to earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status a player must meet the following criteria: 1.) be a varsity letter winner, 2.) have a grade point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, and 3.) have been enrolled at their present school for at least two semesters (including freshman through senior year).

Chever, a native of Newport News, VA, completed his sophomore season at the number two singles and number one doubles positions. He battled throughout the year for a 3-21 overall and 3-10 CIAA singles record. Chever and his partner Darrell Sawyer (Cincinnati, OH) recorded a mark of 4-21 overall and 4-10 conference in doubles play. This is his second consecutive year earning scholar-athlete status. Chever is a Computer Science major and a rising junior.

Heard, a native of Douglasville, GA, just wrapped up her freshman season playing at the number six singles and number three doubles positions. She finished the year with a 12-9 overall mark and 12-3 record in the CIAA. Heard partnered with Felicia Akande (Winston-Salem, NC) for most of the season for an 11-9 overall and 10-5 conference record. She is a Business Administration major and a rising sophomore.

Herrera, a native of Greenville, SC, also just completed his freshman season as a competitor in number six singles and number three doubles. He finished 2-10 in singles and 2-9 in doubles, both overall and in conference. He is a Computer Engineering major and rising sophomore.

Both the men’s and women’s Golden Bull tennis teams begin the 2012-13 season with matches at home against Catawba College on Thursday, September 27th. Match play is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on the Coleman-Cuthbertson Tennis Courts.