Western Kentucky women’s tennis player Sunskrithi Damera was named a recipient of Conference USA’s 2024 Jim Castañeda Postgraduate Scholarship, the league announced Thursday.

This year is the 16th the award has been named after Jim Castañeda, who served Rice for 46 years as an educator, coach and faculty athletics representative before he died in 2008. Every season, CUSA grants the $4,000 scholarship to distinguished graduates selected by the league’s Faculty Athletics Representatives and approved by the Conference USA Board of Directors. Damera is one of nine CUSA student-athletes to receive the scholarship this year.

“I’m happy for Sunskrithi for receiving the Jim Castañeda Postgraduate Scholarship. It shows the hard work she puts in consistently on and off the tennis court,” WKU women’s tennis coach Greg Davis said in a news release. “Having worked with Jim Castañeda at Rice in my first college assistant coaching position, I was able to see firsthand how important he was to his program and university. It is an honor to have Sunskrithi receive this scholarship named in remembrance of him.”

Damera went 8-6 in singles play this spring and won both doubles matches she competed in as a senior. Damera went 4-2 at No. 5 singles and 4-3 at No. 6 singles, and claimed the clinching point in back-to-back 4-3 wins against Wyoming and UIC during the season. She won 12 singles matches during the spring of 2023 in her first season with the program after spending two years at Sam Houston.

The Hyderabad, India, native earned her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting this spring, graduating with a 3.88 GPA. Damera was named to the CUSA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and earned the CUSA Commissioner’s Academic Medal during the 2023-24 academic year. She was also named an ITA Scholar-Athlete in 2023.

Lady Tops trio named to CSC Academic All-District Team

Three Western Kentucky women’s tennis players have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.

Samantha Martinez, Sofia Blanco and Paola Cortez each earned the honor for the second consecutive year. The 2024 Academic All-District Women’s Tennis teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom.

“We’re just really happy to see the three of them were honored for their achievements off the court,” WKU women’s tennis coach Greg Davis said in a news release. “We’re all about building great student-athletes on and off the court, so we’re extremely happy they’re being honored.”

Martinez, a native of La Guaira, Venezuela, is a marketing/social media marketing major with a 4.0 GPA. She was named to the CSC Academic All-District Team, CUSA All-Academic Team, and as an ITA Scholar Athlete in 2023, and has already received CUSA All-Academic honors this year. In her final season in 2024, Martinez extended her lead as the program’s all-time career doubles wins leader with her 15-6 record in doubles play. The 15 doubles wins were seventh-most in a single season in program history, and her 56 career doubles wins are the top mark in program history. Martinez also went 3-1 in singles play in 2024.

Blanco is a business data analytics/computer science major who posted a 4.0 GPA during the 2023-24 academic year. Like Martinez, Blanco was named to the CSC Academic All-District Team, CUSA All-Academic Team, and was ITA Scholar Athlete in 2023, and has also received CUSA All-Academic Team recognition again this year. The Caracas, Venezuela, native was named to the All-CUSA Singles Second Team after posting an 18-2 record in singles play during the spring of 2024, winning at least one match at each of the No. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 positions. Her 18 singles wins were tied for second-most in a single season in program history, and she’s currently third in program history in singles wins with 40. Blanco also recorded eight doubles wins in 2024 and finished the season second on the program’s career doubles wins list with 38. Blanco was named CUSA Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Week on March 13.

Cortez is also a CSC Academic All-District Team honoree for the second consecutive year. The Cochabamba, Bolivia, native recorded a 3.83 GPA during the 2023-24 academic year in her recreation and sport administration graduate program. Cortez went 7-11 in singles play during the spring of 2024 while competing primarily at the No. 1 position, and she went 12-6 in doubles play at the No. 1 position. She finished her WKU career tied for fifth all-time in program history in career singles wins with 32 and fourth on the program’s career doubles wins list with 33.