2026 ITA Junior College Men’s National Awards

Tempe, AZ – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (“ITA”) is pleased to announce the 2026 ITA Junior College Men’s National Award recipients. Every year the ITA recognizes coaches and student-athletes for their excellence both on the court and in their communities throughout the season. 

The Junior College national awards include: ITA Dunlop/Coach of the Year, ITA Assistant Coach of the Year, Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award, ITA Rookie of the Year, ITA Most Improved Sophomore, and the ITA Sophomore Player of the Year.

Continue reading below to find out more about each of the 2026 ITA National Award winners:

ITA/Dunlop Coach of the Year
Jeret Johnson | Pratt Community College

Jeret Johnson from Pratt Community College has been named the 2026 ITA Junior College Men’s Coach of the Year. Developing the Pratt team into a national contender the past few years, Johnson led the Beavers to their first national championship in 65 years this season. In the nine flights at the NJCAA Championships, Pratt had players win national championships at three flights, while finishing as national finalists across three more flights. Johnson had nine players earn NJCAA All-American status this season and across the whole season did not lose to a singles NJCAA opponent. Johnson has taken a team who was 4-9 in 2023-24 to a national championship caliber team in just two seasons and his great leadership has helped numerous players make huge jumps in their game.

ITA Assistant Coach of the Year
Ravi Nelson | American River College

Ravi Nelson from American River College has been named the 2026 ITA Junior College Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year. As a former standout of the American River team, Nelson has returned to the program as a coach and has made an impact on those around him as the assistant coach. Attending every singles practice and match, Nelson never wasted a moment when it came to helping his players during matches or at practices. Whether it was filling in as a hitting partner or doing two hour feeding drills, Nelson wore numerous hats this season. Behind his effort, the American River team would finish the year 11-9 overall, with a perfect 6-0 conference record.

ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award
Ridge Jones | Jones College

Ridge Jones from Jones College has been named the 2026 ITA Junior College Men’s Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award winner. As a fierce competitor, Jones has been one of the biggest contributors to the Jones College team both on and off the court for the past two seasons. Working hard each and every day, Jones demands the same from all of his teammates, helping the Jones team achieve new heights on the court. As an individual, Jones has gone 39-9 overall in singles during his career, while going 35-12 in doubles as well. Jones was the 2025 and 2026 ITA Southern Regional Flight B Singles Champion and was named All-MACC Team the past two seasons as well. In the community, Jones is a part of Bobcat Brigade and volunteers at Northeast Jones High School as a volunteer softball statistician and assistant tennis coach.

ITA Rookie of the Year
Willem de Waal | Tyler Junior College

Willem de Waal from Tyler Junior College has been named the 2026 ITA Junior College Men’s Rookie of the Year. Joining the Tyler team this past January, de Waal has made an immediate impact for the Apaches this season. Going 10-2 in singles and 11-2 in doubles, de Waal quickly moved up the lineup this season, going from the No. 5 position in January up to the No. 2 position by the end of the year. Beating numerous opponents from outside the Junior College level, de Waal went undefeated in his first eight singles matches of the season. In the year-end ITA Singles Rankings de Waal finished the season ranked No. 5 in the country in singles and No. 5 in the nation in doubles alongside partner Daniel Marincas.

ITA Most Improved Sophomore
Ouga Miyazaki | Tyler Junior College

Ouga Miyazaki from Tyler Junior College has been named the 2026 ITA Junior College Men’s Most Improved Sophomore. Coming into Tyler as someone in the back half of the lineup, Miyazaki has worked hard every day to get better and his jump this season has been very clear. Starting this past summer, Miyazaki decided to stay in Texas rather than going home and continued to train over the summer. Showing significant improvement right away, Miyazaki had many big doubles wins in the fall over players from the Division I, Division II, and other levels of play. Playing No. 3 singles and No. 6 singles this spring, Miyazaki has been a big piece of the success of the Tyler team this spring in which they finished No. 2 in the country as a team.

ITA Sophomore Player of the Year
Daniel Marincas | Tyler Junior College

Daniel Marincas from Tyler Junior College has been named the 2026 ITA Junior College Men’s Sophomore Player of the Year. As one of the top players at the Junior College level as a freshman, Marincas returned to Tyler this season and continued his dominance for the Apaches. In the fall, Marincas dominated the ITA Regional Championship and won the ITA Cup in both singles and doubles. Marincas has been ranked as the No. 1 ranked singles player all spring and ranks No. 5 in the nation in doubles with partner Williem de Waal. This spring, Marincas has defeated opponents from Southern Miss, Tulane, UT Tyler, and Hawaii Hilo to name a few non-junior college schools. Marincas is a leader on the Tyler team and his natural understanding of the game has helped him and his teammates achieve numerous accomplishments over the past two seasons.

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