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Tempe, AZ – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (“ITA”) is pleased to announce today the national award winners for the wheelchair collegiate tennis division of play.
Honoring both players and coaches, this year’s honorees have been awarded with one of the following awards; ITA National Coach of the Year, ITA Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership & Sportsmanship Award, ITA National Player of the Year, and ITA National Rookie of the Year.
All honorees have had accolades from the past college tennis season (fall of 2024 and spring of 2025) taken into consideration and winners were determined by an anonymous vote between coaches.
Continue reading below to see the ITA national award winners for the 2024-25 college tennis season.
ITA National Coach of the Year
Tyler Mckay, University of Alabama – Alabama head coach, Tyler Mckay has been named the 2025 ITA Wheelchair Collegiate Tennis National Coach of the Year. In just his second season at the helm of the Crimson Tide, Mckay helped lead Alabama to the 2025 ITA National Wheelchair Tennis national championship match where they would beat in-state rivals Auburn to claim the program’s ninth national title.
Taking over the reigns from Evan Enquist who guided the Tide to seven national championships, Mckay has been around the Alabama wheelchair tennis program since 2016 and was a member of four national championship teams prior to his appointment as head coach. Dominating throughout the year, Mckay assembled a team with both experience and star studded newcomers who all melded together into a group that complemented each other perfectly and who were extremely difficult to beat.
In addition to leading his team to a national championship, Mckay also coached freshman Francesco Felici to a ITA National Wheelchair Tennis Singles Championship this past fall. The former US Open Junior Champion took down Michigan’s Caiden Baxter in the final to take home his first collegiate singles championship alongside the NCAA Division I Individual Championships in Waco, Texas.
ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award
J Betts, University of Michigan – The 2025 ITA Wheelchair Collegiate Tennis Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award winner is J Betts from the University of Michigan. As a newcomer to the collegiate wheelchair space, Betts quickly became a natural fit for the Michigan team, fully diving into the collegiate wheelchair tennis space and becoming an integral piece of a squad that finished as semifinalists at the 205 ITA National Wheelchair Tennis Championships.
Growing up, Betts played able-bodied tennis and even competed on their high school tennis team as a freshman alongside participating in soccer and track. Adaptive sports have given J the opportunity to continue her competitive passions into college and over this past year J has not only played in her first USTA tournament, but has also taken part in dual matches for Michigan and the ITA National Wheelchair Tennis Championships earlier in April at the USTA National Campus.
Outside of sports, J excels academically and is actively involved in numerous clubs and organizations. A Dean’s List student, J is set to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience, alongside two minors. J also dedicates time to community leadership, advocating for inclusion and making others feel valued. J spent two months in Uganda researching community-level factors influencing sexual violence against women with disabilities and continues to be a strong advocate in the Michigan community for disability, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and healthcare issues.
ITA National Rookie of the Year
Francesco Felici, University of Alabama – As a former US Open Junior Champion, Felici has wasted no time getting accustomed to the collegiate game and has quickly become one of the best players in the entire country. With the Tide, Felici has gone undefeated in collegiate wheelchair matches this past fall and spring and was a huge part in Alabama finishing the season unbeaten in dual match play.
In the fall, Felici qualified to compete in the ITA National Wheelchair Tennis Singles Championship where he competed alongside three other qualifiers in Waco, Texas during the 2024-25 NCAA Division I Individual Championships. Competing against the best-of-the-best, Felici came out on top to be crowned the ITA National Wheelchair Tennis Singles Champion after defeating Caiden Baxter in the final.
This spring, Felici helped lead the Crimson Tide to their ninth ITA National Wheelchair Tennis Championship. Alabama did not drop a single point across four matches played and beat Auburn 2-0 in the final to claim the national championship. Felici delivered the clinch for the Tide and capped off his undefeated freshman season with Alabama in Orlando.
ITA National Player of the Year
Caiden Baxter, University of Michigan – Coming into Michigan having never played tennis, Baxter has improved each and every year of his collegiate journey to the point of being named the 2025 ITA National Player of the Year for his efforts on the court this past year. Putting in countless hours into his game over the past few years, Baxter climbed to becoming the top-ranked A player in the United States by the time he finished his undergraduate degree.
Earning All-American honors, Baxter finished as the ITA National Wheelchair Tennis Singles Championship Runner-Up this past fall and helped Michigan earn a top-three seed for the ITA National Wheelchair Tennis Championship in the spring. Baxter has been a leader both with his play and attitude on the court, mentoring newer players while treating everyone with respect regardless of the outcome.
Baxter has reached at least the semifinals of seven USTA tournaments over the 2024-25 season, and has been crowned champion on four different occasions across singles and doubles play. Baxter has taken down some of the nation’s top collegiate players this year including Martha Harris (Alabama), Eric Court (Arizona), and Nicholas Tijerina (Houston) to name a few.
