His UCLA not yet complete, UCLA senior and No. 1 player Martin Redlicki has been named the ITA Senior Player of the Year. The award capped a three-day stretch that saw Bruins receive four awards from college tennis’s governing body.
Austin Rapp and Keegan Smith were also honored, receiving Southwest Region accolades. Rapp was named the ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award, while Smith claimed the Rookie of the Year honor. Redlicki was also named Southwest Region Player of the Year.
Redlicki, who is currently in search of the NCAA Men’s Singles Championship as the tournament’s No. 1 seed, has had perhaps his finest season in blue and gold. Upon completion of the dual-match season, the senior held a singles record of 25-6 (16-4 in dual matches). Of those 25 wins, 20 came versus ranked opponents. The Boca Raton racked up a number of these wins in the fall, when he reached the final round of the ITA All-American Championships and the semifinals of Oracle ITA National Fall Championships. This impressive résumé earned Redlicki the No. 1 spot in the Oracle/ITA Singles Ranking eight of 11 times. In doubles play, the lefty currently sits at No. 29 with partner Evan Zhu.
Rapp, a steadying influence as team captain, took a step back from the singles lineup in 2018, but stepped up in a major way in doubles play. Along with Smith, the pair is 15-9, ranked No. 16 by Oracle/ITA and, like Redlicki-Zhu, poised for a run at the NCAA Championships. The senior tacked on a 15-5 singles record for good measure, including a match-clinching victory versus visiting Utah on Senior Day (April 20). Off the court, Rapp is in line to earn the third Pac-12 All-Academic honor of his career.
Smith had a breakout freshman campaign, holding a 40-6 singles record (25-2 in dual matches) upon completion of the team portion of the NCAA Championships. The San Diego native was undefeated in Pac-12 play, going 8-0 in regular-season conference matches and running off 17 consecutive wins down the stretch. Smith dropped just one set during that span. He has held a spot in 10 of 11 Oracle/ITA singles rankings, reaching a career-best 45th on March 20. The Rapp-Smith doubles tandem has been twice slotted at No. 11 in the doubles list.
Redlicki is just the second Bruin to capture the national award, joining Clay Thompson (2014). Rapp is the first UCLA player to earn the Ashe Award since Jeff Austin in 1973. Smith joins an esteemed group of Regional Rookie Players of the Year in Mackenzie McDonald (2014) and Redlicki (2015).
ITA 2018 Division I National Award Winners – Men
Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year – Tony Bresky, Wake Forest University
tasc Performance ITA Assistant Coach of the Year – Brandon Coupe, Stanford University
ITA Rookie of the Year – Patrick Kypson, Texas A&M University
ITA Player to Watch – Mazen Osama, Univeristy of Alabama
ITA Most Improved Senior – Alex Knight, University of Michigan
ITA Senior Player of the Year – Martin Redlicki, UCLA
ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award – Nuno Borges, Mississippi State University
Rafael Osuna Award for Sportsmanship – McClain Kessler, University of Florida
ITA 2018 Division I Southwest Region Award Winners – Men
Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year – Tom Lloyd, LMU
tasc Performance ITA Assistant Coach of the Year – Rich Bonfiglio, Univ. of San Diego
ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award – Austin Rapp, UCLA
ITA Rookie of the Year – Keegan Smith, UCLA
ITA Player to Watch – Nicolas Moreno de Alboran, UCSB
ITA Most Improved Senior – Charles Boyce, LMU
ITA Senior Player of the Year – Martin Redlicki, UCLA
ITA Community Serve Award – Arizona State University