ODESSA, Texas (May 12, 2026) – Sophomore Lucas Nakasato of The University of Texas Permian Basin men's tennis team and sophomore Sophia Rashid, sophomore Dinethya Dharmaratne and junior Mattea Bowe of the UTPB women's tennis team have each been named to the 2025-26 Academic All-District® Team, selected by College Sports Communicators.

Lucas Nakasato holds a 3.70 cumulative grade point average as a marketing major. At the beginning of the Spring season, Nakasato was named to the 2026 LSC Preseason Players to Watch list and at the end of the year, was named to the 2026 LSC Men's Tennis Sportsmanship Team. He competed in all 19 matches this Spring, was 6-9 overall in singles (1-1 at No. 1, 4-3 at No. 2, 1-5 at No. 3), and was 7-12 overall in doubles (6-11 No. 2, 1-1 No. 3). He was second on the team this season in singles wins. In conference play, he was 3-4 in singles (3-3 at No. 1, 0-1 at No. 3) and was 3-5 in doubles (2-5 at No. 2, 1-0 at No. 3). He won in both singles and doubles in four matches this season, including in conference play at UT Dallas and at home vs. St Mary's. He clinched a 4-0 win over Southeastern Oklahoma State with a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 3 singles in the Falcons' season opener. Nakasato and Andrew Hunsley had a national-ranked doubles win, a 6-4 decision over the No. 23 nationally-ranked doubles pair from No. 24 Harding at No. 2 doubles. The duo also teamed together the day before for a 7-5 victory at No. 2 doubles against No. 22 Mississippi College, helping them earn LSC Doubles Team of the Week recognition (2/26/26). Playing at No. 1 singles for the first time this season, Nakasato won 6-1, 6-3 over the 2025 American Southwest Conference MVP from Hardin-Simmons. In the middle of conference play, he earned back-to-back wins at No. 2 singles against No. 30 Cameron and St. Mary's. Academically, Naksasto has been named to the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 Lone Star Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll with a 4.0 GPA for both semesters, and was named an ITA Scholar-Athlete as a freshman (2024-25).

Sophia Rashid is a biology major who holds a perfect 4.0 GPA. Rashid competed in 19 matches this Spring, was named to the 2026 LSC Preseason Players to Watch list, was 4-15 overall in singles (2-5 at No. 2, 2-10 at No. 3), and was 5-12 overall in doubles (4-9 at No. 1, 0-2 at No. 2, 1-1 at No. 3). In conference play, she was 1-9 in singles (1-0 at No. 2, 0-9 at No. 3) and was 2-7 in doubles (1-4 at No. 1, 0-2 at No. 2, 1-1 at No. 3). She played at least two matches in all three doubles positions in conference play. During UTPB's four-match winning streak in March, Rashid won three straight matches at No. 1 doubles with Fanny Bergstrom to start off the team's winning streak, and then during the final three matches of the streak, she won three straight singles matches (2-0 at No. 3, 1-0 at No. 2) to close out the winning streak. She won in both singles and doubles in three matches this season. Academically, Rashid has been named to the Lone Star Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll in each of her first three semesters (Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025), all three times with a 4.0 GPA, was named a 2024-25 ITA Scholar-Athlete as a freshman, and is a member of the UTPB President's List.

Dinethya Dharmaratne is a management major with a 3.82 GPA. Dharmaratne competed in all 20 matches this Spring, was named to the 2026 LSC Preseason Players to Watch list, was 4-12 overall in singles (1-4 at No. 1, 3-8 at No. 2), and was 7-10 overall in doubles (0-1 at No. 1, 2-9 at No. 2, 5-0 at No. 3). In conference play, she was 2-7 in singles, all at the No. 2 position, and was 3-5 in doubles (0-5 at No. 2, 3-0 at No. 3). She led the Falcons in doubles wins both overall and during conference action, and started the season by playing No. 1 singles for the Falcons. She teamed up with Mattea Bowe to win 6-3 at No. 2 doubles over Southeastern Oklahoma State during the first match of the season, and then later that day she won 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 1-0 (10-5) at No. 1 singles vs. Northeastern State. She clinched a 4-0 win over Colorado State Pueblo with a 6-1, 7-6 (7-1) win at No. 2 singles during Spring Break. She later earned a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 2 singles in an exhibition match vs. DI UTRGV. She won each of her first three matches (in a row) with Sophia Crosby at No. 3 doubles, including a 6-1 win at No. 19 (NAIA) Texas Wesleyan and a 6-4 win at UT Dallas, helping UTPB win the doubles point by just one match in both occurrences. She also won at both No. 3 doubles and at No. 2 singles at UT Dallas and at Western New Mexico. Earlier in her career, Dharmaratne was named UTPB's Women's Student-Athlete of the Month as a freshman (March 2025). Academically, Dharmaratne has been named to the Lone Star Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll in each of her first three semesters (Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025), including twice with a 4.0 GPA, and was named a 2024-25 ITA Scholar-Athlete as a freshman.

Mattea Bowe is a nursing major with a 3.69 GPA. Bowe competed in all 20 matches this Spring, was 6-11 overall in singles (1-1 at No. 3, 5-10 at No. 4), and was 6-12 overall in doubles (1-5 at No. 1, 4-7 at No. 2, 1-0 at No. 3). She won at both No. 2 doubles and No. 4 singles over Southeastern Oklahoma State during the first match of the season. In all, she won in both singles and doubles in four matches this season. She helped UTPB to its first win of the season with a 6-0, 6-3 win at No. 4 singles vs. Southwest Baptist. That was the start of a four-match winning streak for UTPB that saw Bowe go 4-0 in singles (3-0 at No. 4, 1-0 at No. 3) and finish with back-to-back 6-2 wins with Paige Sitanggang at No. 2 doubles. In the final match of that winning streak, Bowe clinched the Falcons' 5-2 win over No. 19 (NAIA) Texas Wesleyan with a 6-2, 7-5 win at No. 4 singles. Academically, Bowe has been named to the Lone Star Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll four times (Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Fall 2025), twice with a 4.0 GPA. She also earned the 2025 D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award and was previously named an ITA Scholar-Athlete as a freshman (2023-24).

UTPB Head Tennis Coach Chris Tolson said, "Congrats to Lucas, Sophia, Dinethya and Mattea for achieving this award. You could not find a group that works as hard as this group in the classroom. They exemplify exactly what a student-athlete looks like. I am so proud of their effort on and off the court this year."

The 2025-26 Academic All-District® Men's and 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. To be eligible for CSC Academic All-District, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically, hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher and must be a standout in competition. Eligible nominees for tennis must be in the lineup for 70 percent of an institution's days of competition (regional competition such as ITAs and non-team scored events do not count).