CMS Men's Tennis Places Three on Division III ITA All-America Team

CMS Men's Tennis Places Three on Division III ITA All-America Team

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Intercollegiate Tennis Association officially released its Division III All-America list this afternoon, and the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's tennis team, which finished the year ranked No. 2 in the nation with a 33-2 record, had three repeat honorees named to the list. 

Junior Nikolai Parodi was honored in both singles and doubles for the third straight season, giving him the rare opportunity to be an eight-time All-American if he pulls off the double for the fourth time next season as a senior. His doubles partner, senior Julian Gordy, was selected for the third year in a row in doubles, while sophomore Jack Katzman earned All-America honors in singles for the second straight season. 

Selection criteria for Division III All-Americans in singles is any one of the following: a top-eight seed in the NCAA tournament, winning one round at the NCAA singles tournament, finishing in the Top 20 in the final Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings, winning a USTA/ITA Fall Regional Tournament, or winning a first-round match at the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships.

All-American honors are awarded to doubles teams that are a top-four seed in the NCAA tournament, win one round at the NCAA doubles tournament, finish in the Top 10 in the final Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings, win the USTA/ITA Fall Regional Tournament, or win a first-round match at the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships. 

There wasn't much drama for any of the CMS All-America selections, as Parodi (No. 1) and Katzman (No. 5) were both seeded in the top five in the NCAA singles championship, while Parodi and Gordy were the No. 2 seed in the doubles championship. Parodi reached the NCAA quarterfinals for the third year in a row, while Katzman advanced one round to the Sweet 16 after finishing as national runner-up last year.

In the final ITA national rankings released earlier this week, Parodi ended ranked No. 4 in singles with Katzman at No. 5, while Parodi and Gordy were the No. 4-ranked team in doubles. Parodi and Katzman also finished last year ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the nation in singles.

Behind the performance of their three All-Americans, the Stags spent the final six weeks ranked No. 1 in the nation, before reaching the national championship match for the fifth time in the last seven years.