2025 ITA Cup James O’Hara Sargent Sportsmanship Award Winners Announced

ROME, GA – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is happy to announce the selections of Advik Mareedu (CMS) and Natasha Sengphrachanh (Grand Valley State) as the 2025 ITA Cup James O’Hara Sargent Sportsmanship Award winners.

Awarded each year at the conclusion of the ITA Cup, the James O’Hara Sargent Sportsmanship Award recognizes two student-athletes who exemplify the spirit of college tennis and show great sportsmanship throughout the tournament. To be eligible for this award, student-athletes must have reached the finals of the singles main draw.

As the men’s recipient for the second straight year, Advik Mareedu was once again a shining star for Division III tennis and CMS at the 2025 ITA Cup. Now a senior, Mareedu came up just short of winning his third ITA Cup Division III Men’s Singles Title this year, but remains just one of three players to win the title twice in the tournament’s history.

As someone who has remained at or near the top of the ITA Singles Rankings throughout his career, Mareedu has been a pillar of consistency and success during his time at CMS. Winning the 2025 NCAA Division III Men’s Singles Title this past May in Claremont, Mareedu went an astounding 41-1 overall in singles matches last season and ended the year ranked as the No. 1 ranked player in the nation.

“It’s an honor to receive this award again,” proclaimed Mareedu. “I want to thank my family, friends, teammates, and coaches for guiding me and showing me how to carry myself both on and off the court. I couldn’t have done this without them.”

This season, Mareedu is back for his senior year and will try to add on to what has already been an record-setting career for the Stags. After winning the ITA National Team Indoor Championship this past year, Mareedu and his teammates are looking to defend their indoor title and reach the highest of highs outdoors as well when the NCAA Team Championships come around in May.

Paul Settles, CMS Men’s Tennis Head Coach, had this to say when asked about Advik and his accomplishment. “Advik honors the sport, his opponent, and his team every time he competes,” noted Settles. “He’s an extraordinary representative of collegiate tennis.”

The women’s ITA Cup James O’Hara Sargent Sportsmanship Award winner has been awarded to Natasha Sengphrachanh. After winning the ITA Midwest Regional Singles Title, and becoming the first Grand Valley State Women’s Tennis player to compete at the ITA Cup, Sengphrachanh continued her historic dominance in Rome by winning the first ITA Cup Championship in program history.

Only dropping two sets in Regional play, Sengphrachanh continued to shine on the national level, only dropping two sets across four matches while only four total games across 28 games played in her opening two rounds of matches. Over the course of the tournament, Sengphrachanh earned wins over the No. 2, No. 5, and No. 11 ranked players in the 2024-25 ITA Year-End Singles Rankings.

“I’m truly grateful to receive this award,” stated Sengphrachanh. “I always strive to be a fair and respectful competitor because I believe sportsmanship is at the heart of not just a good player or team, but a better world. To me, winning with grace and losing with dignity are two sides of the same coin, and I’m honored to have that recognized. I want to thank my family, friends, coaches and teammates for supporting me and reminding me that character matters off the court just as much on it.”

The championship marks the start of Sengphrachanh’s first true year playing competitive matches at the collegiate level. Coming in as a freshman last season, she did not see any action in dual matches, but will surely be one of the top ranked players in Division II women’s tennis during her sophomore campaign.

“I’m incredibly proud of Natasha for receiving the James O’Hara Sportsmanship Award,” said Grand Valley State Men’s and Women’s Tennis Head Coach Samantha Barr. “This recognition is so well-deserved, not just for how she competes during matches, but for the character and integrity she shows every single day in training, off the court, and in how she treats others. She consistently represents GVSU with class and humility, and we couldn’t be more proud to have her as part of our program.”

The James O’Hara Sargent Sportsmanship Award is given in memory of Jim Sargent, former Media Manager for Rolex Watch, USA, who was not only a great friend of college tennis, but an ITA All-American who competed with outstanding success and sportsmanship at Lynchburg College and afterward, a special partner to the ITA and all of college tennis in his role with Rolex.

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