OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss men’s tennis freshman Devin Britton earned another honor this season, as he was named the Southeast Region Rookie of the Year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).

The ITA Southeast Region is made up of the states in the Southeast, including Florida, and all SEC teams are included with the exception of South Carolina and Arkansas. 

Britton is ranked No. 30 in the nation in singles, making him the highest ranked freshman from the United States.   The Mississippi native helped lead the Rebels to the SEC regular season championship, the SEC Tournament Championship and the NCAA Sweet 16.

Britton was a two-time SEC Player of the Week, earned All-SEC second team honors and made the SEC All-Freshman Team.  He clinched the win over Tennessee for the SEC Tournament title and then this past weekend he clinched the victory over LSU in the NCAA second round.

“Devin joined the team in January at only 17 years old. He’s an exceptional player who puts the team first.  He played a major role in both singles and doubles in us winning the SEC Championship,” head coach Billy Chadwick said.

Britton joins seven nominees from regions around the country on the ballot as finalists for ITA National Rookie of the Year.

He becomes the second Rebel ever to earn the honor, joining 11-time grand slam champion Mahesh Bhupathi who received the accolade in 1994.

The No. 2 nationally ranked Rebels will face Texas A&M Thursday at 6 p.m., in the NCAA round of 16.