KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced the 2016 Division III regional and national award winners at the 2016 Division III NCAA Tennis Championships and two Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference tennis student-athletes were recognized for their sportsmanship. Full Release
Sofia Vega of Texas Lutheran University and Paxton Deuel of Trinity University both earned the ITA/Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award for the west region.
The ITA/Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award recognizes outstanding individuals in all divisions at the regional and national level. This award which dates back to 1982, goes to NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and JUCO men's and women's players who have exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements.
Vega, a senior from Corpus Christi, Texas, earns the sportsmanship award after a successful season on the court. Earlier this month, Vega was voted the 2016 SCAC Player of the Year, earning it for the third consecutive season. At Texas Lutheran, she is the all-time leader in women’s singles and women’s doubles victories, winning more than 100 singles matches and more than 60 doubles matches in her career. Her career record in singles is 105-18.
Off the court, Vega has found just as much success, earning CoSIDA Academic All-District honors this year with a cumulative grade point average of 3.87 while majoring in biology. In 2015, she earned both Academic All-District and All-American honors.
Paxton Deuel, a senior from Bend, Ore., has been a key piece on the Tigers’ squad this year, posting a 15-5 record in singles, including 15-4 at the No. 1 spot, while going 18-9 at various doubles spots. Deuel was named the SCAC Player of the Year this month, earning the award for the second time.
In addition to the ITA Sportsmanship award, Deuel was also named to the SCAC All-Sportsmanship Team this spring.
Both Vega and Deuel were selected to the NCAA Singles Championship fields and will compete this weekend in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
