More than a dozen Florida collegiate tennis players were honored by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) this month, as the ITA announced its 2020 Regional Tennis Awards.
Despite the shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ITA recognized the hard work on and off the court from deserving student-athletes across all divisions. The yearly regional awards recognize players for their excellence on the court and in their communities with awards that include: Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship, ITA Rookie of the Year, ITA Player to Watch, ITA Most Improved Sophomore, ITA Sophomore Player of the Year, and ITA Community Service Award.
Below are the Florida winners, separated by division.
NCAA Division I Women (Southeast Region)
Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship: Estela Perez-Somarriba, University of Miami
- This is the second year in a row Perez-Somarriba has won the regional Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship award, and the third straight year it was received by a member of the Hurricanes.
ITA Senior Player of the Year: Estela Perez-Somarriba, University of Miami
The first Hurricane this century to repeat as an @ITA_Tennis regional Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award winner. pic.twitter.com/XGG0bGQJA3
— Miami Hurricanes Women’s Tennis (@CanesWTennis) May 19, 2020
ITA Most Improved Senior: Nandini Das, Florida State University
- Throughout her four years at Florida State, Das was a cornerstone of the Seminoles lineup. She completed her career with 71 singles wins and 61 career doubles wins.
NCAA Division I Men (Southeast Region)
Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship: Marcelo Tebet, Florida Gulf Coast University
ITA Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award: Marcelo Tebet, Florida Gulf Coast University
- Tebet is the first FGCU player in program history to collect two ITA Regional Awards.
CONGRATULATIONS to senior Marcelo Tebet, who received both the @ITA_Tennis Southeast Region Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award, as well as the Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award! 👏🤩🎾💪
📰➡️ https://t.co/MSpv7NfADP#WingsUp #Vamos 🤙🌴🦅 pic.twitter.com/fdoPQhrBFO
— FGCU Men's Tennis (@FGCU_MTEN) May 18, 2020
ITA Most Improved Senior: Jakub Wojcik, University of South Florida
ITA Player to Watch: Sam Riffice, University of Florida
- For the second consecutive season, Riffice collected ITA honors. Last year, he was named ITA Southeast Region Rookie of the Year. This was also the second straight year UF claimed the accolade.
The @ITA_Tennis honors just keep coming for our guy @RifficeSam 👏
🔗 https://t.co/h7FwXyz3yw#GoGators | #WeChomp 🐊🎾 pic.twitter.com/Gwkcdj25aG
— Gators Men's Tennis (@GatorsMTN) May 18, 2020
ITA Senior Player of the Year: Alex Knaff, Florida State University
- Knaff finished his 2020 season with the Seminoles with a 7-3 singles record and a 7-4 doubles record.
NCAA Division II Women (South Region)
Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship: Marta Vicens Miquel, Saint Leo University
- Vicens Miquel concluded the season ranked No. 12 by ITA in the South Region Singles poll and posted an 8-2 record in singles play.
ITA Rookie of the Year: Rebecca Keijzerwaard, Palm Beach Atlantic University
- In her first year with the Sailfish, Keijzerwaard completed the season with a 4-0 record in singles play at the No. 2 position. She performed well in doubles too, posting a 4-1 record at No. 1 doubles.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAX7H3YAm8b/
ITA Player to Watch: Ekaterina Grib, University of Tampa
- Grib, who was the first player in program history to be named ITA National Player of the Week, finished the 2020 season with a singles record of 12-1.
ITA Most Improved Senior: Kristyna Jurkova, Saint Leo University
- Jurkova finished her career with the Lions ranked No. 9 in singles and No. 5 in doubles in the South Region rankings. in both singles (9) and doubles (5) in the South Region rankings. She posted a 7-3 singles record on the year.
ITA Senior Player of the Year: Ulyana Grib, Lynn University
- Grib is the third-straight Fighting Knight to claim the honor of ITA Senior Player of the Year in the South Region.
ITA Community Service Award: Palm Beach Atlantic University
NCAA Division II Men (South Region)
Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship: Philipp Hoffmann, Palm Beach Atlantic University
- Hoffmann was an essential part of the Sailfish roster during the last four seasons. In 2020, the senior posted a 6-3 record in singles play, primarily at the No. 1 position.
ITA Most Improved Senior: Robin Calais, Lynn University
- Calais is the first Fighting Knight’s men’s tennis player to receive this ITA accolade. He had a standout senior season on the court, with a 6-2 singles and 4-2 doubles record to help lead the 10th-ranked Fighting Knights to a 9-1 overall record.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAauOqUghO6/
ITA Community Service Award: Palm Beach Atlantic University
NAIA Men (South Region)
ITA Player to Watch: Luke Simkiss, Keiser University
- During his first season with the Seahawks, Simkiss ranked No. 6 in the final ITA rankings and posted a 14-0 overall record in the top singles spot.
NJCAA Women (Region IV)
ITA Sophomore Player of the Year: Tatiana Simova, ASA College (Miami)
For more information on the ITA Regional Awards and for a full list of award winners, please visit www.wearecollegetennis.com.
