Georgia Gwinnett College women's tennis players
Justine Lespes and
Alexandra Melnikova have shared second Academic All-America team honors for their strong academic performances and athletic play in helping the Grizzlies capture the 2025 NAIA national championship. They earned this national student-athlete recognition for the first time.
Lespes and Melnikova are the sixth and seventh different GGC women's tennis players to earn Academic All-America honors in nationwide voting by College Sports Communications members. The women's tennis program has had 11 Academic All-American selections among 43 honorees by GGC student-athletes since 2017. The college has had at least one Academic All-American across its six intercollegiate sport teams and at least one selection for nine consecutive calendar years.
Eligible student-athletes need to maintain a 3.5 or higher cumulative grade point average, have at least of sophomore academic standing, and be in the lineup for 70 percent of the team's matches this spring.
Lespes, who earned an international business degree in May, was a three-time first NAIA All-America team honoree, and completed her GGC career with a 45-0 record in singles matches. She earned the Marvin P. Richmond Most Outstanding Player award for three years, helping the Grizzlies win NAIA national titles each season.
She was the NAIA's No. 3-ranked singles player by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association after winning all 11 matches this spring, including a 7-0 mark on the No. 1 court. Lespes won the 2023 NAIA singles national title at the ITA's Cup.
Melnikova, who completed her junior year in 2025, also was a first NAIA All-American team choice after being a top 10-ranked singles player and top 15 doubles player, according to the ITA. The business marketing major won eight of her nine singles matches on the No. 2 court this season, including a straight-set victory in the NAIA Championship match.
Melnikova posted 10 doubles victories in her first season as a Grizzly.
Georgia Gwinnett College had a 16-2 record this spring and captured the program's ninth consecutive NAIA national championship and 10th overall title.
