The University of Delaware’s Denny LaMachia has been named UD’s first Colonial Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete of the Year in women’s tennis.

LaMachia was one of 11 student-athletes from six different schools in the conference who excelled both athletically and academically to earn scholar-athlete accolades for 2015-16 in their respective spring sports.

A finance major in UD's Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, LaMachia is a member of the CAA All-Academic team, ITA All-Academic team and the National College Athlete Honor Society while also earning Dean’s List honors in each of her four semesters at UD.

She also serves as the team’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative and graduated summa cum laude in May with a bachelor of science degree.

On the court, LaMachia recorded a team-best 15 singles wins from the No. 2 spot while notching a team-high 17 individual doubles victories. She will return to the court for the 2016-17 season as a graduate student to complete her fourth year of eligibility.

“What an outstanding honor for Denny to be recognized as the CAA Scholar Athlete of the Year for women’s tennis – especially with the number of successful and talented players in this conference,” said Delaware head coach Laura Travis. “Having coached 21 years with the men and 24 years with the women, we have had many gifted, driven, and successful student athletes come through the University of Delaware tennis programs but Denny’s efforts and accomplishments are extraordinary.”

Travis added, “Considering she began her collegiate career at University of Richmond with the highest GPA (grade point average) of any freshman student-athlete, transferred to Delaware and was able to complete her undergraduate education in a total of three years (with a 4.0 GPA), and will earn her master’s degree in one year during her fourth year of eligibility is unique.

“Additionally, she is one of our SAAC representatives, our locker room leader, and one of the fiercest competitors on our team. We are delighted that she will be able to play another year and serve in a leadership role as co-captain. She has established a legacy of academic and athletic excellence for the next generations to emulate.”

Travis said, “We will be rooting for her in her quest to maintain her 4.0 while fitting two years’ worth of graduate work into one year, guiding the team, striving for personal success on court, and sustaining her roles with SAAC and our University/local community. If anyone can do this, Denny can.”

The CAA honors one scholar-athlete in each of its 21 championship sports. Nominees for the award must be starters or important reserves on their team and must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25. The winners were selected by a vote of the media relations directors at each CAA institution.

LaMachia is the first women’s tennis student-athlete to receive conference scholar-athlete recognition since Tara Finnegan was named the North Atlantic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1992. Then Laura Leroy, Travis was picked as the 1989 East Coast Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year for her senior campaign at Delaware.

For more on UD Athletics, see BlueHens.com.