Highlighting this year’s awards is Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year James Poling of Rollins (Fla.) College. Rollins, the defending NCAA champions, has been ranked in the top four of the Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings the entire season and head into this week’s NCAA Division II Championships in Kansas City, ranked No. 3 in the country. Poling, in his ninth season as coach for the Tars, was also named Sunshine Conference and ITA South Region Coach of the Year this season.
The other national awards go to the following players:
ITA National Senior Player of the Year – Mehdi Belbacha, Drury (Mo.)
ITA National Rookie of the Year – Jan Krejci, BYU-Hawaii
ITA National Player to Watch – Joakim Noritis, Lander (S.C.)
ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship – Matt Cole, Ferris State (Mich.)
BYU-Hawaii’s Krejci and Drury’s Belbacha have led their teams to the No. 1 and 2 spots in the latest Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings, respectively. Krejci is ranked No. 2 in the latest national singles rankings and Belbacha is No. 5. ITA Player to Watch Noritis has helped Lander climb from a preseason No. 22 national team ranking to its current position at No. 5. Cole is the Arthur Ashe Award winner, which goes to an individual who has displayed outstanding sportsmanship and leadership, as well as notable scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements.
The women’s award winners will be announced next week.
Regional Award Winners:
East
ITA Coach of the Year: Suresh Ramamurthi, Kutztown
ITA Rookie of the Year: Mukundan Nandakumar, Kutztown
ITA Player to Watch: Michael McGrath, Bloomsburg
ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship: Dan Sforzo, Dowling
ITA Senior Player of the Year: Ben Choi, Queens (N.Y.)
Mid-Atlantic
ITA Coach of the Year: Tom Schrader, North Florida
ITA Rookie of the Year: Dale White, Armstrong Atlantic State
ITA Player to Watch: Joakim Noritis, Lander
ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship: Patrick Suhrbier, Lander
ITA Senior Player of the Year: Evgeni Mikheev, Lander
Southeast
ITA Coach of the Year: Jim Poling Rollins
ITA Rookie of the Year: Sebastian Losavio, Barry
ITA Player to Watch: Mark Thompson, Rollins
ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship: Marc Becker, Florida Southern
ITA Senior Player of the Year: Shikha Singh, Eckerd
South
ITA Coach of the Year: Derrick Racine, West Florida
ITA Rookie of the Year: Paulius Jurkenas, West Florida
ITA Player to Watch: Philipp Laucht, Valdosta State
ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship: Johan Ohlson, Ouachita Baptist
ITA Senior Player of the Year: Tobias Huning, Valdosta State
Great Lakes
ITA Coach of the Year: Paul Marcum, Ferris State
ITA Rookie of the Year: Christian Valenthon, Northwood
ITA Player to Watch: Matt Vaulkhard, Missouri-St. Louis
ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship: Matt Cole, Ferris State
ITA Senior Player of the Year: Oskars Vaskis, Northwood
Central
ITA Coach of the Year: John Newman, Incarnate Word
ITA Rookie of the Year: Jeremy Blandin, Dury
ITA Player to Watch: Julien Curatella, Abilene Christian
ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship: Henry So, Central Oklahoma
ITA Senior Player of the Year: Mehdi Belbacha, Drury
North Central
ITA Coach of the Year: Kendell Hale, Rockhurst
ITA Rookie of the Year: Andres Bori, Southwest Baptist
ITA Player to Watch: Jon Sanchez, Northwest Missouri State
ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship: Bruce Dicker, Metropolitan State
ITA Senior Player of the Year: Cameron MacDonald, Rockhurst
West
ITA Coach of the Year: Dave Porter, BYU-Hawaii
ITA Rookie of the Year: Jan Krejci, BYU-Hawaii
ITA Player to Watch: Greg Lee, UC-Davis
ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship: Michael Meyer, UC-San Diego
ITA Senior Player of the Year: JR Villaroman, Cal Poly Pomona
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Highlighting this year’s awards is Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year Derrick Racine of the University of West Florida. Racine's UWF squad finished the regular season at No. 5 in the Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings and reached the quarterfinals at last week's NCAA Championships.
The other national awards go to the following players:
ITA National Senior Player of the Year – Petra Gaspar, BYU-Hawaii
ITA National Rookie of the Year – Victoria Domina, Ouachita Baptist
ITA National Player to Watch – Jackeline Nieto, Clayton State
ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship – Evelina Akkers, Northeastern State
Regional Award Winners:
East
ITA Coach of the Year: Matt Meredith, Slippery Rock
ITA Rookie of the Year: Julianne Bramante, Bloomsburg
ITA Player to Watch: Yvonne Niederbracht, IUP
ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship: Anna Burakova, Dowling
ITA Senior Player of the Year: Abbie Sweitzer, Millersville
Mid-Atlantic
ITA Coach of the Year: Simon Earnshaw, Armstrong Atlantic State
ITA Rookie of the Year: Annamaria Forgacs, Armstrong Atlantic State
ITA Player to Watch: Jackeline Nieto, Clayton State
ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship: Michaela Kratchvilova, Armstrong Atlantic State
ITA Senior Player of the Year: Julia Roudkovskaya, Georgia College and State
Southeast
ITA Coach of the Year: George Samual, Barry
ITA Rookie of the Year: no winner
ITA Player to Watch: Victoria Courmes, Barry
ITA Senior Player of the Year: Maria Alves, Lynn
South
ITA Coach of the Year: Derrick Racine,
ITA Rookie of the Year: Victoria Domina, Ouachita Baptist
ITA Player to Watch: Brenda Magnetti, Ouachita Baptist
ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship: Elena Torres, North Alabama
ITA Senior Player of the Year: Hope Zwilling, West Florida
Great Lakes
ITA Coach of the Year: Zane Colestock
ITA Rookie of the Year: Carina Kaempfer, Northwood
ITA Player to Watch: Aijana Otunchieva, Michigan Tech
ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship: Jamie O'Hara, Northern Kentucky
ITA Senior Player of the Year: Jennifer Garvey, Ferris State
Central
ITA Coach of the Year: John Newman, Incarnate Word
ITA Rookie of the Year: Zorana Stefanovic, Northeastern
ITA Player to Watch: Petya Yaneva, Incarnate Word
ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship: Evelina Akkers, Northeastern
ITA Senior Player of the Year: Layla Turner, Eastern New Mexico
North Central
ITA Coach of the Year: Eduardo Provencio, Metro State
ITA Rookie of the Year: Jasman Crabb, Metro State
ITA Player to Watch: Rosa Tapia, Northwest Missouri State
ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship: Jessica McKenney, Truman State
ITA Senior Player of the Year: Lori Eslinger, Northern Colorado
West
ITA Coach of the Year: Dave Porter, BYU-Hawaii
ITA Rookie of the Year: Adrienn Hegedus, BYU-Hawaii
ITA Player to Watch: Anne Claire Ortiz-Luis, Cal Poly-Pomona
ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship: Britni Webb, UC-Davis
ITA Senior Player of the Year: Petra Gaspar, BYU-Hawaii