Troy Trojans men's tennis

Troy Trojans men's tennis
UniversityTroy University
Athletic directorBrent Jones
Head coachRolando Vargas (6th season)
ConferenceSun Belt
LocationTroy, AL
Home CourtLunsford Tennis Complex
NicknameTrojans
ColorsCardinal, silver, and black[1]
     
NCAA Tournament appearances
1993, 2010, 2015
Conference Tournament championships
1963, 1967, 1972, 1993, 1997, 2010, 2015
Conference regular season champions
2005, 2015

The Troy Trojans men's tennis team represents Troy University in NCAA Division I college tennis. The team belongs to the Sun Belt Conference and plays home matches at the Jimmy Lunsford Tennis Complex. The Trojans are currently led by head coach Rolando Vargas.

History

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Troy began playing tennis during the 1980s, first playing in the NCAA's Division II and joining the Gulf South Conference. The Trojans never won a conference title while a member of the Gulf South Conference, but on a few occasions finished as the conference runner-up.

In 1993 during their last season in Division II, the men's team made it the NCAA Division II Championships. The Trojans wound up having a stellar season as they finished ranked #8 in the nation in the Rolex Collegiate National Rankings.[2] That same year, Juan Garat was nominated as an ITA All-American in singles.

A Troy tennis player during the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Championships.

Troy transitioned from Division II to Division I after the 1993 season, moving to the Mid-Continent Conference.

While a member of the Mid-Continent Conference, Troy finished as the conference runner-up in 1995 and 1996, losing in the finals of the conference tournament to Western Illinois both seasons. For the 1996 season, Troy player Anshooman Aga was named the Mid-Continent's Player of the Year.

In 1997, Troy finally broke through to win the conference title, defeating UMKC in the conference tournament finals. Troy player Shannon Nettle was named Mid-Con Newcomer of the Year, and head coach Steve Barsby was named Mid-Con Coach of the Year for his efforts. Unfortunately, Troy did not receive a bid to play in the NCAA Tournament since at the time, the Mid-Con didn't give their tournament champion an automatic bid to the national tournament.

The men's tennis team won their first Sun Belt title in 2010, defeating #34 Denver 4–1 in the finals of the Sun Belt tournament. Troy would lose in the NCAA Regionals to Auburn by a score of 0–4 in the first round. They finished the regular season with a 20–5 record and ranked #51 in nation in the ITA Rankings. For his efforts, head coach Eric Hayes was named the Wilson/ITA Southern Coach of the Year, as well the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year.[3]

In 2015 under second year head coach Scott Kidd, the men's team found their way back to the NCAA Tournament by posting a 25–6 overall record and winning the Sun Belt tournament once again, this time defeating #69 South Alabama in the finals by a score of 4–1. Their 25–6 overall record led the nation in most wins going into the 2015 postseason before dropping their First Round match against Florida State. Their 4–5 record against ranked teams helped them achieve a national ranking of #53 to finish the regular season.

ITA All-Americans

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Awards

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Coach of the Year
  • USPTA College Coach of the Year
Chad Hebert – 2000
  • USPTA Southern College Coach of the Year
Rolando Vargas – 2022
Eric Hayes – 2010
Eric Hayes – 2010
Scott Kidd – 2015
Steve Barsby – 1997
Player of the Year
William Campos – 1997
Irving Morales – 2004, 2005
Anshooman Aga – 1996

Year-by-Year Results

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Season Overall
record
Conference
record
Conference
standing
Postseason Final
nat'l rank
Notes
1993 16–5 NCAA First Round #8 NCAA Championships
1994 12–8 2nd East Coast Runner-up
1995 11–6 2–1 2nd Mid-Continent League Runner-up
1996 7–15 2–1 2nd Mid-Continent League Runner-up
1997 15–7 4–1 1st Mid-Continent League Champions
1998 14–8 1–1 4th
1999 11–12 1–1 4th
2000 14–10 0–0 5th
2001 0–0 0–0 4th
2002 7–9 0–0 7th
2003 11–10 0–0 3rd
2004 9–14 2–2 6th
2005 10–10 6–1 1st Atlantic Sun Champions
2006 8–12 0–2 6th
2007 5–10 2–4 6th
2008 5–13 1–3 7th
2009 8–12 1–2 7th
2010 20–5 4–1 1st NCAA First Round #58 Sun Belt Champions; NCAA First Round
2011 3–17 0–1 6th
2012 5–18 0–2 7th
2013 8–17 0–4 6th
2014 8–17 0–2 5th
2015 25–7 5–0 1st NCAA First Round #63 Sun Belt Champions; NCAA First Round
2016 15–14 1–3 3rd
2017 14–11 1–1 4th
2018 13–11 3–1 4th
2019 17–8 1–6 7th
2020 11–4 0–0 Season cancelled due to COVID-19
2021 20–4 3–2 2nd
2022 16–10 2–3 5th
2023 18-7 4-4 4th
TOTALS 351–308 46–49

Postseason results

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Trojans men's tennis player at the 2018 Sun Belt Men's Tennis Championships.

Division I

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Year Round Opponent Result/Score
2010 First Round Auburn L 0–4
2015 First Round Florida State L 0–4

Division II

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Year Round Opponent Result/Score
1993 First Round UC-Davis L 1–5

ITA Final Rankings

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Year Record ITA
National
Ranking
ITA
Regional
Ranking
1993 16–5 #8
2010 20–5 #58 #6
2015 25–7 #63 #6
2016 15–14 #10
2019 17–8 #9
2021 20–4 #8
2022 16-10 #9
2023 18–7 #10

Source: "Oracle/ITA Rankings Archives". Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Retrieved November 25, 2019.

Trojans on the ATP Tour

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Facilities

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A tennis court at the Lunsford Tennis Complex.

Troy tennis plays their home matches at the Jimmy Lunsford Tennis Complex. Opened in 2001, the facility contains 12 outdoor hard courts with a small clubhouse/pro shop. The facility hosts various USTA junior and adult tournaments, as well as a $25,000 professional women's tennis tournament, the USTA Tennis Classic of Troy.

References

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  1. ^ "Trojan 2.0 Best Practices and Style Guide". Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  2. ^ "1993 Rolex National Collegiate Rankings Summary – administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association" (PDF). Oracle/ITA Rankings Archive. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 26, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  3. ^ "2010 Division I Awards". Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Archived from the original on November 25, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  4. ^ "Rolando Vargas – Overview". ATP Tour. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
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