Freshman Ben Shelton was tabbed ITA Rookie of the Year for the Southeast Region.
Men’s Tennis Racks Up Four ITA Regional Awards
Monday, June 14, 2021 | Men's Tennis
Bryan Shelton brings home Coach of the Year honors and Ben Shelton named Rookie of the Year.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida men's tennis team continued to add to its banner season, collecting four different honors as the International Tennis Association released Monday its Men's and Women's Regional Awards.
The Gators were recognized on an individual level Ben Shelton with earning praise, on the coaching side with Bryan Shelton and Tanner Stump registering accolades and from a team perspective as Florida earned the ITA Community Service Award.
After registering a 21-4 record in dual match play, Ben Shelton earned Rookie of the Year honors. Head Coach Bryan Shelton, who helped lead the Gators to their first national championship in program history, was tabbed as the ITA Southeast Region Coach of the Year while his top assistant Stump, was named ITA Assistant Coach of the Year.
Ben Shelton
The Gainesville native Shelton impressed in his debut campaign, posting a 28-5 record overall. Shelton earned a spot on the SEC's All-Freshman Team and twice was tabbed the league's Freshman of the Week. Shelton provided the match-clinching heroics in UF's 4-1 win over Baylor, pushing the Gators to their first-ever NCAA National Championship.
In doubles, Shelton accounted for 16 wins including five during the conference slate.
Bryan Shelton
This is the second time in three years that Shelton has been named the top coach in his region, winning it also in 2019. He was also named the Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year for the third time in his career.
In addition to the national championship, Shelton's 2021 squad won the SEC title and junior Sam Riffice was crowned as the NCAA Singles Champion. His team's 26 wins were also the second most in school history and the best mark under Shelton.
Shelton became the first head coach in DI college tennis history to win a women's national title (2007 at Georgia Tech) and a men's national championship. He is the 24th coach across all NCAA sports to lead two different programs to a national team title. Of those 24, Shelton is the fifth to coach a national championship team in a men's AND women's sport.
Tanner Stump
In Stump's five seasons at Florida, he has helped guide the Gators to a 104-29 overall record, one NCAA title, one NCAA singles title, two SEC titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances, gradually improving their run each season (Sweet 16 in 2017, Elite 8 in 2018, Final 4 in 2019 and national champions in 2021).
The teams have also compiled a 45-7 record in the SEC, including a perfect 12-0 in 2019 & 2021 and the first SEC Championship for Florida since 2005 in 2019. He has coached six players to a total of 17 All-American honors in five years. He has also coached UF student-athletes to two SEC Freshman of the Year honors (Oliver Crawford and Sam Riffice) and 19 All-SEC accolades over the years.
Community Service Award
Florida continued its commitment to serving the community in 2020-21. For his outstanding individual efforts, Riffice earned a spot on the SEC's Community Service Team for men's tennis. Riffice accounted for 18 hours of community service in the last two years and is on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at UF.
The national award winners will be announced next Monday, June 21.
Southeast Regional Award Winners
The Gators were recognized on an individual level Ben Shelton with earning praise, on the coaching side with Bryan Shelton and Tanner Stump registering accolades and from a team perspective as Florida earned the ITA Community Service Award.
After registering a 21-4 record in dual match play, Ben Shelton earned Rookie of the Year honors. Head Coach Bryan Shelton, who helped lead the Gators to their first national championship in program history, was tabbed as the ITA Southeast Region Coach of the Year while his top assistant Stump, was named ITA Assistant Coach of the Year.
Ben Shelton
The Gainesville native Shelton impressed in his debut campaign, posting a 28-5 record overall. Shelton earned a spot on the SEC's All-Freshman Team and twice was tabbed the league's Freshman of the Week. Shelton provided the match-clinching heroics in UF's 4-1 win over Baylor, pushing the Gators to their first-ever NCAA National Championship.
In doubles, Shelton accounted for 16 wins including five during the conference slate.
Bryan Shelton
This is the second time in three years that Shelton has been named the top coach in his region, winning it also in 2019. He was also named the Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year for the third time in his career.
In addition to the national championship, Shelton's 2021 squad won the SEC title and junior Sam Riffice was crowned as the NCAA Singles Champion. His team's 26 wins were also the second most in school history and the best mark under Shelton.
Shelton became the first head coach in DI college tennis history to win a women's national title (2007 at Georgia Tech) and a men's national championship. He is the 24th coach across all NCAA sports to lead two different programs to a national team title. Of those 24, Shelton is the fifth to coach a national championship team in a men's AND women's sport.
Tanner Stump
In Stump's five seasons at Florida, he has helped guide the Gators to a 104-29 overall record, one NCAA title, one NCAA singles title, two SEC titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances, gradually improving their run each season (Sweet 16 in 2017, Elite 8 in 2018, Final 4 in 2019 and national champions in 2021).
The teams have also compiled a 45-7 record in the SEC, including a perfect 12-0 in 2019 & 2021 and the first SEC Championship for Florida since 2005 in 2019. He has coached six players to a total of 17 All-American honors in five years. He has also coached UF student-athletes to two SEC Freshman of the Year honors (Oliver Crawford and Sam Riffice) and 19 All-SEC accolades over the years.
Community Service Award
Florida continued its commitment to serving the community in 2020-21. For his outstanding individual efforts, Riffice earned a spot on the SEC's Community Service Team for men's tennis. Riffice accounted for 18 hours of community service in the last two years and is on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at UF.
The national award winners will be announced next Monday, June 21.
Southeast Regional Award Winners
- Wilson ITA Coach of the Year: Bryan Shelton, University of Florida
- ITA Assistant Coach of the Year: Tanner Stump, University of Florida
- Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship: Billy Rowe, University of Georgia
- ITA Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award: Billy Rowe, University of Georgia
- ITA Rookie of the Year: Ben Shelton, University of Florida
- ITA Most Improved Senior: Adria Soriano Barrera, University of Miami
- ITA Senior Player of the Year: Adria Soriano Barrera, University of Miami
- ITA Community Service Award: University of Florida
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