TOWSON, Md. – Senior-to-be Gustave Diep of the New Mexico State men’s tennis team was named an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America men’s at-large second team selection, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced Tuesday, June 9. Diep was just one of two student-athletes from the Western Athletic Conference named to the academic all-America lists.
With the prestigious honor Diep becomes the 37th academic all-American in NM State history, but the first from the men’s tennis program. Diep, a native of Paris, France, carries a 4.0 cumulative G.P.A in biochemistry.
He is a two-time all-WAC selection in singles (2007 and 2008) and was named the 2007 ITA Mountain Region Rookie of the Year as a freshman. In addition to that, Diep has also been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI first team in 2008 and 2009 and was named an ITA Scholar Athlete and academic all-WAC selection in 2008. He will surely repeat as an ITA Scholar Athlete and Academic All-WAC selection in 2009, but those honors won’t be announced until later this summer.
“We are very proud of Gustave for all that he has accomplished, both out on the courts and in the classroom,” head coach Don Ball said. “He is a great kid who excels in every class that he takes and we encourage his academic side.”
This past season for the Aggies, Diep won his first nine matches to start the year and his 14 singles victories tied for the team lead. Adding in his fall tournament record, he won 20 singles matches as a junior and was just one of two Aggies to pick up 20 victories. He was a big component of leading NM State back into the national rankings for the first time since 2004, as the Aggies spent six weeks in the ITA polls this year.
Diep enters his senior season with 112 combined singles and doubles victories. In three seasons, he has posted a 34-21 (.618) singles record in dual matches for the Aggies while playing exclusively in the top half of the lineup.
