Nicole Tan Captures First-Team Academic All-America Honors

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Senior women's tennis player Nicole Tan became just the sixth Claremont-Mudd-Scripps student-athlete in department history to win first-team Academic All-America honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America, the organization announced today.

Tan earned first-team honors on the CoSIDA Division III Women's At-Large team, which pools nominees from numerous different sports, including ice hockey, swimming and diving, field hockey, lacrosse, tennis, skiing, fencing, golf, and water polo. The CoSIDA Academic All-America award honors student-athletes who excel both academically and athletically during their college careers. 

Tan earned CoSIDA Third-Team Academic All-America distinction last year, and moved up to the first team this year, joining an elite list of six Athenas and Stags to make it on the first team, including the second women's tennis player, along with Kristin Lim (2013). Baseball player Paul Schulz was the first to do it in 1984, men's basketball player Bob Donlan captured it in 2002, Lim and softball player Harmony Palmer were first-team selections in 2013, and baseball player C.J. Novogradac last earned the honor in 2018. 

During her career, Tan earned Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-America honors five times, three times in doubles and twice in singles. She played No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles on the 2018 CMS team that captured the program's first-ever national championship, and twice reached the finals match of the NCAA Division III Doubles Championship, finishing as the runner-up in 2017 and 2019 (falling last year with Sarah Bahsoun to teammates Catherine Allen and Caroline Cox in an All-CMS final). In 2017, she was named the ITA Division III National Rookie of the Year after tallying a 17-0 singles record during the spring season. 

Tan also helped CMS to a four-year dual match record of 99-5, including 14-0 and a No. 1 ranking this year before spring sports were suspended. The Athenas finished each season ranked No. 4, No. 1, No. 2 and No. 1 in the nation during Tan's career, which represent the four highest finishes in the history of the program.  

In the classroom, Tan majored in neuroscience at Claremont McKenna and graduated with a 3.87 grade point average. She was a SCIAC All-Academic Team selection in every season, as well as an ITA Scholar-Athlete selection every season, and became a member of Phi Beta Kappa honor society in 2020.

Tan joins men's water polo player Zack Rossman in earning At-Large Academic All-America honors for CMS on Wednesday. She also joins men's soccer goalie Jacob Mays and men's basketball guard Miles President to give CMS four CoSIDA Academic All-Americans so far this year, the highest single-year total in school history, with track and field/cross country still pending next week.