Fereres, Ponce, Arce Vieyra named SSAC Tennis Scholar-Athletes

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) released the selections for the 2024 Men's and Women's Tennis Scholar-Athlete Teams on Wednesday, and three members of the Loyola Wolf Pack tennis programs were honored. 

Loyola placed two on the SSAC Women's Tennis Scholar-Athlete Team for the second year in a row, as sophomores Adele Fereres and Micaela Ponce both earned spots on the team. On the men's side, Francisco Javier Arce Vieyra was picked as an SSAC Scholar-Athlete for the second consecutive year. 

To be eligible for the SSAC Scholar-Athlete Teams, student-athletes must be a sophomore or above in both academic and athletic standing, must be starters or important reserves, have at least a 3.3 cumulative GPA and have competed in 50 percent of competitions. Graduate students are not eligible, and transfers must have completed one semester at the school.

Arce Vieyra achieved a 3.8 GPA, one of just three on the men's Scholar-Athlete Team to have a 3.8 or greater. He also was a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete and made the SSAC All-Academic Team for the second time. In limited action this season, the senior had a 3-2 record in NAIA matches, 3-3 overall at the No. 1 singles position. 

Fereres posted a 3.806 GPA while also having one of the best records on the team. She spent most of the year at No. 5 singles, compiling a 9-6 record there while adding three wins at No. 4 singles to finish the year at 12-6 overall. The duo of Fereres and Chloe Henderson was the Wolf Pack's locked down the No. 3 doubles position in 2024, leading the team in doubles wins with a 12-4 overall record.

Ponce, who had a GPA of 3.694, was Loyola's No. 2 singles player all season, finishing the year with a 9-8 overall record and reaching an ITA singles ranking as high as No. 40. She and Ariana Salgueiro-Estela were one of Loyola's best doubles teams, going 8-3 on the season. Ponce also earned three doubles wins while playing with Lucy Carpenter and Fatima Vasquez. Carpenter, who was the SSAC Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2022 and 2023, was not eligible this year due to her status as a graduate student.