LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- In exclusive voting by the senior woman administrators of the conference, Alexis Dimanche of Southwestern University has been selected Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Man of the Year.
Dimanche is the first Southwestern student-athlete to earn SCAC Man of the Year honors.
"Alexis is extremely deserving of this award as he is the greatest player to ever represent this program and is arguably even more impressive as a human being," said Southwestern head men's tennis coach Billy Porter.
The SCAC Man of the Year award recognizes senior student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service, and leadership. The inaugural SCAC Man of the Year was presented in 2013.
On the hardcourt, despite a shortened season, Dimanche finished his 2020 campaign with a 5-1 singles record playing exclusively from the No. 1 position and landed the No. 27 position in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) men’s tennis singles rankings and No. 7 on the ITA West Region charts. His leadership as a captain helped guide the Pirates to their highest national ranking in program history, finishing the season at No. 23 in the final ITA team poll.
Earlier this spring, Dimanche was chosen as the recipient of the 2020 ITA National Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. The prestigious award, which dates back to 1982, is presented to men and women student-athletes who have exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership, as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements in ways that embody the legacy of tennis icon and humanitarian Arthur Ashe Jr. He also earned the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) 2019-20 Academic All-District First Team honors with an at-large bid.
During his four seasons as a member of the men’s tennis team, Dimanche was a three-time All-SCAC First Team selection, including Newcomer of the Year in 2017 and Player of the Year in 2018. He was a five-time recipient of SCAC Player of the Week, named to the SCAC All-Tournament Team in 2018 as a singles player and the All-Tournament Team in 2019 as a doubles player. In 2018, Dimanche qualified for the NCAA Division III Singles Tournament, was named ITA All-American and earned ITA Player to Watch in the West Region. Dimanche finished his career with 131 combined wins, edging out teammate Dean Dulthummon by two victories for the program's all-time record.
Off the court, Dimanche held serve in the classroom as well, finishing his degrees at Southwestern with an overall grade point average of 3.94. A four-time SCAC Academic Honor Roll Honoree, he earned the first-two SCAC Elite 19 awards in conference men’s tennis history. The Mouans-Sartoux, Alpes Maritimes, France native landed on the Southwestern Dean’s List all eight of his semesters, was the recipient of three King Creativity Grants, member of the SU Physics Club, including club president in 2019 and earned two National Science Foundation Stipends to conduct Biomedical Engineering Summer Research at Major Universities. Dimanche will continue his education in a Ph.D. program for Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas.
"Being a student athlete as part of the SCAC brought so much to me as an individual and a teammate,” said Dimanche. “I am so grateful for the memories and friends I have made in my four years as well as all the leadership opportunities that Southwestern University has given me. I am so happy to have been given a wonderful balance where I could pursue my passion while becoming a well-rounded student and person!"
Just as he did in the classroom and on the courts, Dimanche took a great deal of pride in leading by example in the campus community.
He volunteered with Relay for Life and the Boys & Girls Club and earned SCAC Character & Community Student-Athlete of the Week with his work alongside Dr. Mete Civelek as a research assistant at the University of Virginia, seeking to determine the genetic causes of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases; specifically in insulin-resistant Type 2 diabetes.
Finally, he was a member of Southwestern's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, serving as the men’s tennis representative for three years and a member of the Student Foundation on campus.
Dimanche was one of five outstanding nominees considered by the SCAC Man of the Year Committee. The other candidates were:
- Taylor Wells, golf, Centenary College
- Tony Calderon, cross country & track and field, Colorado College
- Garrett Garza, track and field, Texas Lutheran University
- Jordan Pitts, tennis, Trinity University
To read about past winners of the SCAC Man-of-the-Year award, click here.
Year-by-year SCAC Man of the Year Honorees:
2020 - Alexis Dimanche, tennis, Southwestern University
2019 - Riley Schaefer, baseball, Texas Lutheran University
2018 - Keenan Gumbs, basketball, Schreiner University
2017 - Soren Frykholm, soccer, Colorado College
2016 - Madison Ross, football, Austin College
2015 – Aaron Skinner, tennis, Trinity University
2014 – Kaleb Roush, swimming, Colorado College
2013 – Nick Lammers, soccer, Colorado College
