WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – For the first time in program history, a Purdue men's tennis player was recognized with a national award by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, as senior Athell Bennett was named the 2020 ITA Most Improved Senior.
Bennett was on pace for one of the best seasons in program history before its cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Boasting a 16-6 singles mark on the year, the senior was 9-2 in dual matches and riding a nine-match unbeaten streak at the top of the lineup for the Boilermakers. Bennett rolled off five wins against ranked opposition during the year, including a trio against top-10 foes – No. 5 Richard Ciamarra from Notre Dame, No. 4 Sam Riffice from Florida and No. 8 Joseph Guilin from UC Santa Barbara.
In the fall, Bennett qualified for the ITA All-America Championships and the ITA Fall National Championships and reached the semifinals of the ITA Ohio Valley Regional in the singles flight.
On the doubles side, the Valley Stream, N.Y., native went 9-8 on the year, with a 6-7 mark in the spring at No. 1. He paired with fellow senior Julian Saborio in eight dual matches to go 4-3.
The senior had his sights set on a bid to the NCAA Singles Championships in May, as one of the top individuals in the nation. Appearing in every ORACLE/ITA national singles polls in the spring, Bennett vaulted up to No. 20 in the country in mid-February, the second-highest ranking in program history.
Bennett was tabbed First Team All-Big Ten, the Ohio Valley Most Improved Senior and the Ohio Valley Senior Player of the Year.
A graduate of Valley Stream High School, Bennett came to Purdue as a four-star recruit with a Universal Tennis Rating of 11.9. Dominating on the singles side, the two-time all-conference pick was 72-32 in his singles career, with an even more impressive 59-20 clip in dual play. Closing the 2020 campaign as the highest-ranked player in the Ohio Valley Region, Bennett took his UTR up to 13.63.
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