Tempe, AZ – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (“ITA”) is pleased to announce the 2025 ITA Division I Men’s National Award recipients. Every year the ITA recognizes coaches and student-athletes for their excellence both on the court and in their communities throughout the season.
The Division I national awards include: ITA Coach of the Year, ITA Assistant Coach of the Year, Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award, ITA Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award, ITA Rookie of the Year, ITA Most Improved Player, ITA Senior Player of the Year, ITA Player to Watch, and the ITA National Player of the Year.
Continue reading below to find out more about each of the 2025 ITA National Award winners:
ITA Coach of the Year
Tony Bresky | Wake Forest University
Tony Bresky from Wake Forest University has been named the 2025 ITA Division I Men’s Coach of the Year. In what was a historic year for the Demon Deacons, Bresky helped guide the Wake Forest team to a ACC Regular Season, ITA National Team Indoor, and NCAA Tournament Championship this spring. The Demon Deacons finished the 2025 campaign with a program and ACC record 40 wins, with 25 coming against ranked opponents. Of these 25 wins over ranked opponents, 11 came against top-10 ranked teams and seven against teams inside the top five. Only suffering one loss across the entire season, Wake Forest held an impressive 79-21 mark in doubles and a 138-42 mark in singles as they set program records in both singles and doubles victories. During his tenure at Wake Forest, Bresky has amassed 369 wins, making him the winningest head coach in program history.
ITA Assistant Coach of the Year
Cris James | NC State University
Cris James from NC State University has been named the 2025 ITA Division I Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year. Leading the recruiting efforts for the Wolfpack, James was instrumental in recruiting each of the members to make this year’s historical squad. This past fall, three players from the NC State team qualified for the NCAA Singles Championship which marked a program-high. In the spring, James and the Wolfpack climbed as high as No. 4 in the ITA Team Rankings which was the highest the NC State program had ever been ranked. Qualifying for the ITA National Team Indoor Championship for the first time in five years, the Pack would go on a 13-match win streak shortly after indoor play which featured wins over ten ranked opponents. By the end of the season, NC State owned 14 ranked wins, seven of which were in the top-25 and four in the top-10.
ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award
Colton Smith | University of Arizona
Colton Smith from the University of Arizona has been named the 2025 ITA Division I Men’s Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award winner. Over the past four years, Smith has been at the forefront of a historic turnaround in the Arizona Men’s Tennis program. As one of the nation’s top ranked players, and as the highest ranked ATP player in college, Smith has been a leader both on and off the court for Arizona since he step foot on campus. Over the course of this season, Smith and the Arizona team had the chance to work with Team Impact in which Smith served as the team leader for his team. Working with Jaxin, an eight-year-old local child, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Smith and the Arizona team made Jaxin an honorary captain for their team this season. As many coaches and supporting staff would say, this is just one of many legacies Smith has left at Arizona and his impact will be remembered by many for years to come.
ITA Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award
Michael Zheng | Columbia University
Michael Zheng from Columbia University has been named the 2025 ITA Division I Men’s Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award winner. As the NCAA Singles Champion this past fall, Zheng has not only showcased his impact on the court year-over-year but has also displayed his impact off the court as well in how he carries himself on a daily basis. Behind core values of respect, humility, kindness, and an unwavering commitment to those around me, Zheng has been a central part of the Columbia Men’s Tennis team that has advanced to two straight NCAA quarterfinals. Even when the pressure is the highest on the biggest of stages, Zheng always ensures to not let the moment get the best of him and keeps a calm demeanor that helps him on the court as well. This season, Zheng finished as the No. 2 ranked player in the country and held a 37-5 record in singles across both the fall and spring seasons.
ITA Rookie of the Year
Rafael Jodar | University of Virginia
Rafa Jodar from the University of Virginia has been named the 2025 ITA Division I Men’s Rookie of the Year. Joining the team in January, Jodar has not missed a beat since stepping on campus. After losing his collegiate debut, Jodar would not lose other match across the remainder of the regular season at the No. 1 singles position for Virginia. Named the ACC Rookie of the Year, First Team All-ACC, as well as an ITA All-American, the former Junior Grand Slam Champion impressed all season long. Finishing the year ranked No. 4 in the iTA Year-End Singles Rankings, Jodar went 14-2 against ranked opponents this season and earned a win against No. 1 ranked Timo Legout of Texas earlier in the year. Behind his efforts at the top spot, Virginia advanced all the way to the NCAA Championship Quarterfinals this past May where they concluded their season with a 23-8 overall record.
ITA Most Improved Player
Corey Craig | Florida State University
Corey Craig from Florida State University has been named the 2025 ITA Division I Men’s Most Improved Player. As one of the biggest stories of the fall, Craig reached the quarterfinals of the ITA All-American Championship after entering as a wild card. Coming to Florida State from Boston University, Craig made the switch with ease earning First Team All-ACC honors in his first season in the conference. Entering the fall unranked, Craig was ranked as high as No. 9 in the ITA Singles Rankings in December and finished this spring ranked No. 16 in singles. Craig had 11 ranked wins on the season, including four top-25 wins in 2025.
ITA Senior Player of the Year
Colton Smith | University of Arizona
Colton Smith from the University of Arizona has been named the 2025 ITA Division I Men’s Senior Player of the Year. Making waves earlier this spring by winning a main draw match at Indian Wells and by reaching the quarterfinals at a ATP clay court event in Houston, Smith has proven he is not only one of the best players in college tennis, but one of the best in the world. Leading the charge for the Arizona team, Smith went 23-2 across all competition this season, including an undefeated 16-0 record this spring in dual matches. Against nationally ranked opponents, Smith compiled a 13-1 record and was a key reason why Arizona went 26-4 on the season. In the Big 12, Smith was named the Big 12 Player of the Year and helped lead Arizona to their fourth straight Big 12 Championship. On his campus, Smith won the Sapphire Award at Arizona (given to best male athlete on campus), as well as the Leadership award given out by the Athletic Director.
ITA Player to Watch
Kenta Miyoshi | University of Illinois
Kenta Miyoshi from the University of Illinois has been named the 2025 ITA Division I Men’s Player to Watch. Putting together his best collegiate season to date in 2024-25, Miyoshi made the jump to the No. 1 singles position in the Illinois lineup and has flourished. Named the Big Ten Player of the Year, the first Illinois player since 2017 to earn this honor, Miyoshi won 30 singles matches on the year and went an impressive 17-4 in dual match play this spring. In total, Miyoshi is 20-8 against ranked opponents, with ten of those victories coming this spring. He finished the season ranked No. 10 in the ITA Singles Rankings and was one of two unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selections.
ITA National Player of the Year
Timo Legout | University of Texas
Timo Legout from the University of Texas has been named the 2025 ITA National Player of the Year. Marking the third straight Longhorn to finish the season ranked atop the ITA Singles Rankings, Legout had a breakout season in his redshirt freshman year for Texas. Named the SEC Player of the Year, SEC Freshman of the Year and SEC Tournament MVP, Legout was 35-3 in singles this year with a 22-2 dual match record and a perfect 12-0 conference record. Legout earned 24 ranked wins on the season, including 15 wins over top-50 opponents. Helping the Longhorns to a 29-5 overall record, Legout and Texas were crowned SEC Tournament Champions, while they all reached the ITA Indoor and NCAA Championship semifinals this spring. In the fall, he was a semifinalist in both the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships, the singles and doubles champion at the ITA Texas Regionals, and the MVP of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
