Pictured Duke's Raphael Hemmeler
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Virginia’s Jarmere Jenkins has been named the 2013 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Player of the Year, while Duke’s Henrique Cunha and Raphael Hemmeler have been selected as the ITA National Doubles Team of the Year, as announced by the organization on Wednesday.
Jenkins, who ended the year ranked No. 1 in the ITA singles rankings, was the 2013 NCAA singles runner-up. He posted a 42-6 singles record during his senior season, including winning the 2012 ITA Indoor Intercollegiate Championship title in the fall. He was named NCAA Tournament MVP as the Cavaliers won their first team championship in May. The 2013 ITA/Farnsworth National Senior Player of the Year, he ended his collegiate career by winning the 2013 NCAA Doubles Championship with Mac Styslinger.
Jenkins’ selection marks the third time the award has gone to an ACC student-athlete as Somdev Devvarman earned the honor in 2006 and 2007.
The duo of Cunha and
Hemmeler earned 39 victories for the 2012-13 season, which ranks second all-time in Duke men’s tennis history. The pair completed the season as the top-ranked tandem and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA doubles championship in their first season playing together.
Cunha and Hemmeler tallied a 24-4 record from the No. 1 position and an undefeated 9-0 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) competition. Against ranked competition, Cunha and Hemmeler were 24-3, including 11 victories against top-20 foes.
Cunha and Hemmeler enjoyed a tremendous amount of success in the fall, as the duo played to a 12-1 ledger. The pair was able to capture three doubles titles throughout the fall campaign, including the blue draw at the Duke Fab Four Invite, the ITA Carolina Regional and the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championship. The title at the USTA/ITA National Indoors Championship was the second in Duke men’s tennis history, as Ludovic Walter and Jason Zimmerman won the doubles draw in 2003
Cunha wins the award for the second time in his illustrious career and leaves Duke as the record holder in singles (151) and doubles (147) victories. He is just the fourth player in program history to win 100 matches in singles and doubles.
The duo is second ACC pair and second Blue Devil tandem to win the award in the past four years, as Cunha and Reid Carleton were selected in 2010.
The ITA College Player of the Year Awards are given to the male and female singles players who have had the most outstanding year in college tennis. The collegiate players will be honored on Saturday, July 13 in Newport, RI at a special Awards Luncheon during the Rolex Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend.
