Five Cougars earn All-America tennis honors #GoBarton

Five members from the Barton Community College men's tennis team have received All-America honors from both the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).

Helping the team match program history finishing runner-up at the NJCAA Division I Championships earlier this month, Victor Alves, Oliver Naude, and Mohammed Abuzed earned NJCAA honors by finishing in the top two of their respective flights.

Alves captured the No. 2 singles title becoming the first Cougar to win an individual championship since Luis Ramirez' No. 6 singles crown in the 2003 season, while Naude and Abuzed reached the No. 3 doubles championship in falling to the tournament's 2nd seed.

ITA honors recognizes players finishing in the Top-10 of the final ITA National NJCAA singles rankings with doubles recognition awarded to those in the Top-5 of the final rankings.

In singles play, Alves was joined by Gabriel Garay while in doubles play, Garay and partner Hayden Loffler were the lone tandem earning ITA honors.

The Cougars' runner-up placing at the year-end championship tournament moved the squad up from the fifth to a final No. 3 national ranking with Garay the No. 3 ranked individual, Alves in the No. 10 spot, Abuzed ranked No. 50, and the Garay and Loffler duo rated the 3rd best tandem.

On the women's side, Barton finished the final rankings at No. 22 with Vitoria Capigotto ranked 28th in singles play with fellow freshman doubles partner Vania Dotse tabbed the 13th best tandem.

More information regarding the ITA Awards and Rankings can be found at: https://www.wearecollegetennis.com/