North Carolina State University Athletics
Photo by: Chris Baird
Wolfpack Men’s Tennis Garners Three Regional Honors
5/21/2019 10:24:00 AM | Men's Tennis
TEMPE, Ariz. – Three from NC State men's tennis were honored as ITA regional award winners for the Carolina region following the 2019 dual match season. Alexis Galarneau was named Player to Watch, Igor Saveljic was named Most Improved Senior and Cris James was named Assistant Coach of the Year, as announced by the organization.
The awards come after a historic season for the Wolfpack during which all three honorees helped the squad reach new heights. NC State ended the 2019 campaign with a 19-11 record as it amassed the most single-season victories since the 2012 campaign. After its second-straight selection to the NCAA Championships, the Pack advanced to the second round of the national tournament for just the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2014. NC State went 8-4 in ACC play during the regular season, marking the most league wins in a single campaign in program history, and the squad also made history as the program's first-ever team to advance to the ACC Championship semifinals.
ITA CAROLINA REGION PLAYER TO WATCH – ALEXIS GALARNEAU
Galarneau was recognized with this regional award after another stellar season at the top singles spot for the Pack.
The Laval, Canada native became the first Wolfpack player since at least the 2000 season to earn back-to-back selections to the NCAA Singles Championships. He was named First Team All-ACC for the second year in a row after also earning a spot on the team in 2018. Galarneau has spent the majority of the 2019 season ranked in the national top 25.
The Wolfpack junior went 16-10 in singles, playing on the No. 1 court in every one of NC State's dual matches and registering wins against seven nationally-ranked opponents. Galarneau was also an impact player for the Pack in doubles as three of his doubles victories on the year came against opponents that were nationally ranked.
From the head coach: "Alexis has become one of the premiere college tennis players. He is currently ranked sixth out of all college tennis players in the ATP rankings. Alexis has held the top spot for our team the last two years, and he has given our program national, elite attention because of his competitiveness at the top level of college tennis and because of his sportsmanship. Every day, he comes with a work ethic and humility to be the best player and the best person that he can be. You will always see Alexis after matches taking time to talk with our fans and spending time with the kids who came to the matches. We are very fortunate to have someone of Alexis's character as a part of our program."
ITA CAROLINA REGION MOST IMPROVED SENIOR – IGOR SAVELJIC
Igor capped off a solid career at NC State by putting together his best season as a member of the Pack in 2018-19. The Podgorica, Montenegro native garnered All-ACC honors for the first time in his career as he earned a spot on the Second Team.
The senior led the team in singles wins with 18 on the year, including 13 during dual-match play, with the majority of action coming at the No. 2 singles spot. Igor also led the team in doubles wins with 19, with nine of those victories tallied during ACC action.
Igor ended his career tied for seventh in program history with 64 career doubles victories and ranked 13th in program history with 70 career singles wins.
From the head coach: "Igor has improved so tremendously over two years to become a competitive player at the top level who produced amazing results this year. He played both the defending NCAA champion Petros Chrysochos and the current US Open Boys finalist and ACC Rookie of the Year Brandon Nakashima to third-set tiebreakers. Igor also beat opponents from Northwestern, Duke, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State and Miami (twice), all at the No. 2 position. Every coach in the ACC will tell you about his amazing transformation in such a short time but also about what a wonderful person he is. His sportsmanship on the court and for his teammates can be rarely matched."
ITA CAROLINA REGION ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR – CRIS JAMES
James, who serves as NC State's assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, has played an instrumental role in helping head coach Kyle Spencer lead the team to success during the past two seasons. James has continued to recruit some of the top tennis talent to NC State and has aided in developing a Wolfpack team that has reached the upper echelon of college tennis.
Since arriving in Raleigh prior to the start of the 2017-18 athletic year, James has helped coach a squad that finished in the top 30 at the conclusion of the 2018 dual season and has been ranked in the top 25 for eight weeks during the 2019 season. NC State has also had doubles teams qualify for the main draw of the ITA All-American Championships and the ITA National Fall Championships during each of the past two seasons, and Galarneau has earned a singles berth to the NCAA Championships for two seasons in a row under the leadership of James and Spencer.
The awards come after a historic season for the Wolfpack during which all three honorees helped the squad reach new heights. NC State ended the 2019 campaign with a 19-11 record as it amassed the most single-season victories since the 2012 campaign. After its second-straight selection to the NCAA Championships, the Pack advanced to the second round of the national tournament for just the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2014. NC State went 8-4 in ACC play during the regular season, marking the most league wins in a single campaign in program history, and the squad also made history as the program's first-ever team to advance to the ACC Championship semifinals.
ITA CAROLINA REGION PLAYER TO WATCH – ALEXIS GALARNEAU
Galarneau was recognized with this regional award after another stellar season at the top singles spot for the Pack.
The Laval, Canada native became the first Wolfpack player since at least the 2000 season to earn back-to-back selections to the NCAA Singles Championships. He was named First Team All-ACC for the second year in a row after also earning a spot on the team in 2018. Galarneau has spent the majority of the 2019 season ranked in the national top 25.
The Wolfpack junior went 16-10 in singles, playing on the No. 1 court in every one of NC State's dual matches and registering wins against seven nationally-ranked opponents. Galarneau was also an impact player for the Pack in doubles as three of his doubles victories on the year came against opponents that were nationally ranked.
From the head coach: "Alexis has become one of the premiere college tennis players. He is currently ranked sixth out of all college tennis players in the ATP rankings. Alexis has held the top spot for our team the last two years, and he has given our program national, elite attention because of his competitiveness at the top level of college tennis and because of his sportsmanship. Every day, he comes with a work ethic and humility to be the best player and the best person that he can be. You will always see Alexis after matches taking time to talk with our fans and spending time with the kids who came to the matches. We are very fortunate to have someone of Alexis's character as a part of our program."
ITA CAROLINA REGION MOST IMPROVED SENIOR – IGOR SAVELJIC
Igor capped off a solid career at NC State by putting together his best season as a member of the Pack in 2018-19. The Podgorica, Montenegro native garnered All-ACC honors for the first time in his career as he earned a spot on the Second Team.
The senior led the team in singles wins with 18 on the year, including 13 during dual-match play, with the majority of action coming at the No. 2 singles spot. Igor also led the team in doubles wins with 19, with nine of those victories tallied during ACC action.
Igor ended his career tied for seventh in program history with 64 career doubles victories and ranked 13th in program history with 70 career singles wins.
From the head coach: "Igor has improved so tremendously over two years to become a competitive player at the top level who produced amazing results this year. He played both the defending NCAA champion Petros Chrysochos and the current US Open Boys finalist and ACC Rookie of the Year Brandon Nakashima to third-set tiebreakers. Igor also beat opponents from Northwestern, Duke, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State and Miami (twice), all at the No. 2 position. Every coach in the ACC will tell you about his amazing transformation in such a short time but also about what a wonderful person he is. His sportsmanship on the court and for his teammates can be rarely matched."
ITA CAROLINA REGION ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR – CRIS JAMES
James, who serves as NC State's assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, has played an instrumental role in helping head coach Kyle Spencer lead the team to success during the past two seasons. James has continued to recruit some of the top tennis talent to NC State and has aided in developing a Wolfpack team that has reached the upper echelon of college tennis.
Since arriving in Raleigh prior to the start of the 2017-18 athletic year, James has helped coach a squad that finished in the top 30 at the conclusion of the 2018 dual season and has been ranked in the top 25 for eight weeks during the 2019 season. NC State has also had doubles teams qualify for the main draw of the ITA All-American Championships and the ITA National Fall Championships during each of the past two seasons, and Galarneau has earned a singles berth to the NCAA Championships for two seasons in a row under the leadership of James and Spencer.
Players Mentioned
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