WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Two members of the Purdue men's tennis program were selected to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) regional "Of the Year" awards, announced Tuesday by the organization's office. Assistant Coach Matic Špec was named Assistant Coach of the Year and Aleksa Krivokapic ITA Player to Watch for the Ohio Valley Region.
The awards come on the heels of a successful season, which saw the fourth-most home wins in program history (11-4 record). Alongside head coach Geoff Young, Špec guided three different Boilermakers to wins against ranked opponents in singles play while also helping Purdue earn a 17-5 record in doubles play this spring. The Boilermakers produced ranked wins vs. No. 20 Illinois, No. 32 Boise State and No. 55 Oregon, all on their home court as the team finished the season ranked No. 53 in the ITA final rankings. Špec is the fourth assistant coach in Purdue history to earn the ITA Assistant Coach of the Year honor, including the first since 2017, and has been with the program for two seasons.
Krivokapic, a First Team All-Big Ten honoree and the league's singles champion for the 2024-25 season, is the first Boilermaker to be awarded ITA Regional Player to Watch. The Podrigo, Montenegro, native posted a 6-1 record over his last eight matches (one unfinished), including three top-12 ranked victories: a 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 comeback victory vs. Big Ten Player of the Year #12 Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois, 3/14), a 6-4, 6-3 win vs. #5 Ozan Baris (Michigan State, 3/23) and a 6-4, 6-4 win vs. #11 Aidan Kim (at Ohio State, 4/20). Rising from unranked to start the season to finishing No. 44 in the ITA rankings, the junior is one of four Boilermakers in program history to earn as high of a spot in the poll.
The awards come on the heels of a successful season, which saw the fourth-most home wins in program history (11-4 record). Alongside head coach Geoff Young, Špec guided three different Boilermakers to wins against ranked opponents in singles play while also helping Purdue earn a 17-5 record in doubles play this spring. The Boilermakers produced ranked wins vs. No. 20 Illinois, No. 32 Boise State and No. 55 Oregon, all on their home court as the team finished the season ranked No. 53 in the ITA final rankings. Špec is the fourth assistant coach in Purdue history to earn the ITA Assistant Coach of the Year honor, including the first since 2017, and has been with the program for two seasons.
Krivokapic, a First Team All-Big Ten honoree and the league's singles champion for the 2024-25 season, is the first Boilermaker to be awarded ITA Regional Player to Watch. The Podrigo, Montenegro, native posted a 6-1 record over his last eight matches (one unfinished), including three top-12 ranked victories: a 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 comeback victory vs. Big Ten Player of the Year #12 Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois, 3/14), a 6-4, 6-3 win vs. #5 Ozan Baris (Michigan State, 3/23) and a 6-4, 6-4 win vs. #11 Aidan Kim (at Ohio State, 4/20). Rising from unranked to start the season to finishing No. 44 in the ITA rankings, the junior is one of four Boilermakers in program history to earn as high of a spot in the poll.