The Ohio State men’s tennis season may not have been canceled as a byproduct of the measures put in place to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, but that didn’t stop Ohio State men’s tennis payer Cannon Kingley from getting some rather significant recognition Monday. He was announced as the ITA’s National Freshman of the Year during a virtual ceremony according to a release from an Ohio State athletics spokesman.
Kingsley is the first Buckeye freshman to be named national rookie of the year, and he is just the fourth OSU freshman to earn All-America honors.
“My first year at Ohio State was everything I could have asked for,” Kingsley said in the release. “We didn’t get an opportunity to achieve our team goals, but for me personally, I achieved some things that I will remember for the rest of my life. Receiving this award shows me that I’m right there with the top tennis players in the country, but also that I need to improve so much more in order to maintain that status. I can’t wait back to work with the coaches and my teammates and make strides to become the best team in the country next season. Also, I would not be where I am without my seniors and captains, who pushed me to put in work every single day no matter what. There’s no better feeling then playing for the “O” on my chest.”
“Cannon was having a tremendous season when it ended due to the virus,” said director of tennis Ty Tucker. “This big-time award will soften the blow of a lost season. Cannon certainly deserves this award because he played well from start to finish. He won in his very first tournament in September and also had a top-10 win in March just before the season ended. He had a number of wins over ranked opponents this year and he’s only going to get better.”
For the first time, a Buckeye has been named the ITA National Rookie of the Year. Congrats Cannon! #GoBucks
LINK: https://t.co/IMhfxyie1k pic.twitter.com/SpHdA9riDN
— Ohio State M Tennis (@OhioStateMTEN) May 25, 2020
Here are some more impressive accomplishments from Kingsley during his freshman season:
- Singles All-American
- ITA National Rookie of the Year
- ITA Midwest Region Rookie of the Year
- Big Ten Freshman of the Year
- Unanimous first team All-Big Ten
- ITA All-American Championship Consolation Bracket Champion
- ITA Fall Championship Round of 16
- Only freshman invited to the USTA Winter Wild Card Playoff
- 22-1 combined record in dual matches (12-1 singles, 10-0 doubles)
- Nine wins over ranked opponents including two over top-10 foes
- Defeated No. 1 Daniel Cukierman in Ohio State’s 4-2 win over No. 1 Southern Cal
- Spent the entire season ranked in the top-25 and finished the year ranked No. 14
Ohio State has been the dominant tennis program in the Big Ten for a decade and a half now, and having Kingsley on board will only further solidify the Buckeyes’ chances of keeping that going into the future.
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