University of Arizona tennis star Jay Friend made program history after taking home the ITA All-American Championships title in Tulsa on Sunday.
The No. 5 player in the ITA is the first Wildcat to secure the title.
On his way to becoming the All-American Champion, he defeated No. 7 Ozan Baris (Michigan State), No. 9 Dylan Dietrich (Virginia) and No. 4 Aidan Kim (Ohio State).
Jay Friend shakes hands with the referee after winning his doubles game against Harvard in Round 2 of the NCAA Tournament at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center in Tucson, May 3.
The win also gave Friend an automatic berth in the NCAA Singles Tournament this fall. The NCAA Individual Championships will be held Nov. 19–24 in Orlando.
The Wildcats’ regular season continues this week at the Tiburon Challenger in Tiburon, California.
“What Jay just accomplished is the pinnacle of college tennis — winning the All-American Championship, one of the most prestigious national titles in our sport,” head coach Clancy Shields said in a news release. “He capped off the event beating three top 10 opponents and became the first national champion in Arizona program history. I couldn’t be more proud of Jay, his process throughout the eight-day event, and the quality of his play the last couple days. Congratulations Jay, way to bring home a national title!”
