DENVER Several WAC tennis players were honored by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). Rices Blair DiSesa was the Southwest Regions ITA Arthur Ashe Award winner. On the mens side, Tulsas Will Gray earned the Central Regions ITA Rookie of the Year award, while Luke Shields earned the same honor in the Mountain Region. Rices Robert Searle and Boise States Beck Roghaar earned the Arthur Ashe Awards for the South Central and Mountain Regions, respectively.
Rice junior Blair DiSesa earned the Southwest Region ITA Arthur Ashe Award which is given to players who display great leadership and sportsmanship. The ITA gives the award to a player who shows good sportsmanship as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements. Rices Robert Searle earned this award on the mens side in the South Central Region. Boise State senior Beck Roghaar also earned the honor for the Mountain Region. Searle was the WAC Player of the Year and was also named first team all-WAC in singles and doubles.
WAC Freshman of the Year, Luke Shields also garnered Rookie of the Year honors for the Mountain Region. Shields, who also earned first team all-WAC honors in singles and doubles, has won 29 singles matches this season. Tulsas Will Gray was the Central Region Rookie of the Year. Gray recorded a 30-9 record in his first year of collegiate competition. His 30 wins put him in a three-way tie for fourth place on the school's single season wins list with Louie Pranic (1994-95) and Nenad Toroman (1997-98).