Clayton Almeida
Named ITA 2002
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May 8, 2002
ROCK HILL, S.C.–Winthrop University freshman tennis standout Clayton Almeida, who finished the season undefeated with a 22-0 record and was voted Big South Conference Player of the Year as well as Rookie of the Year, has been named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s 2002 South Region II Rookie of the Year.
Region II includes schools in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, part of Georgia and East Tennessee.
Almeida, who is from Sao Tres Coracoes, Brazil, was ranked as high as 112th nationally by ITA during the regular season in which he led the Winthrop men to a 20-3 overall record and a 7-0 Big South mark and No. 1 seed in the post-season tournament. The Eagles lost in the championship match to Charleston Southern. Almeida will now be considered for the National ITA Rookie of the Year.
"This is a tremendous honor for Clayton," said his head coach Cid Carvalho. "To think that Clayton was selected the top freshman from one of the toughest regions in collegiate tennis is almost unbelievable. He had a great year and we are looking for his outstanding play to continue throughout his Winthrop career."
The other ITA Region II awards announced included:
Coach of the Year–Kent Dumars (South Carolina)
Assistant Coach of the Year–Shawn Heinchon (Wake Forest)
Senior Player of the Year–Marcio Petrone (North Carolina)
Player to Watch–Phillip King (Duke)
Arthur Ashe Leadership–Andrew Lux (James Madison)
John Van Nostrand Nominee–Florian Marquardt (Virginia Commonwealth)
Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Nominee–Roger Anderson (Georgia Tech)