June 7, 2013

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The ITA announced South Carolina junior Tsvetan Mihov as part of its 2013 Division I Men’s Tennis All-America Team. Mihov finished the 2012-13 season ranked 28th in the nation and reached the NCAA Singles Championship round of 16 to become the Gamecocks’ first All-American since 2003.

“It is only fitting for Tsvetan to be recognized as an All-American this season because of the way he came in and did exactly what we needed and asked of him,” South Carolina head coach Josh Goffi said. “Tsvetan was thrown into the fire right when he got here, taking on a tough responsibility to help this team reach new heights. He accepted the challenge whole-heartedly and challenged himself to get better as the year went on. What he brought to our team was immeasurable, and his individual success and leadership were huge factors in the team’s success this season.”

Mihov made his Gamecock debut in January at the start of dual-match play and closed the season with a 17-12 overall record. His eight wins over nationally ranked opponents include four over top-25 players, highlighted by his upset of the nation’s No. 2 player, Alex Domijan of Virginia, in the first round of the NCAA Singles Championship. Playing exclusively at the top of the Gamecocks’ singles lineup, Mihov posted six SEC victories, making him just the fourth South Carolina player to post that many SEC wins in the No. 1 singles spot.

To earn All-America status in singles, a player must be a top-16 seed in the NCAA Singles Championship, reach the round of 16 in the event or finish in the top 20 of the final ITA National Singles Rankings. In doubles, a player much be a top-eight seed in the NCAA Doubles Championship, reach the quarterfinals in the event or finish in the top 10 of the final ITA National Doubles Rankings.

On this year’s ITA All-America Team, Mihov is one of 25 to earn the honors for his singles play. The SEC added 20 members to the 45-player squad.

2013 ITA All-America Team

David Vieyra, Alabama (D)
Jarryd Both, Alabama (D)
Andreas Mies, Auburn (S/D)
Daniel Cochrane, Auburn (D)
Andrea Dome, Cal Poly (S)
Dominique Maden, Clemson (D)
Yannick Maden, Clemson (D)
Henrique Cunha, Duke (S/D)
Raphael Hemmeier, Duke (D)
Bob van Overbeek, Florida (D)
Stephane Piro, Florida (D)
Ben Wagland, Georgia (D)
Hernus Pieters, Georgia (D)
Juan Spir, Georgia Tech (D)
Vikram Hundal, Georgia Tech (D)
Anthony Rossi, Kentucky (S/D)
Kevin Lai, Kentucky (D)
Tom Jomby, Kentucky (S/D)
Evan King, Michigan (S)
Romain Bogaerts, Mississippi State (S)
Blaz Rola, Ohio State (S)
Peter Kobelt, Ohio State (S/D)
Jonas Lutjen, Ole Miss (S/D)
Nik Scholtz, Ole Miss (S/D)
Alex Sarkissian, Pepperdine (S)
Sebastian Fanselow, Pepperdine (S)
Matija Pecotic, Princeton (S)
Tsvetan Mihov, South Carolina (S)
Hunter Reese, Tennessee (D)
Mikelis Libietis, Tennessee (S/D)
Chris Camillone, Texas (D)
David Holiner, Texas (D)
Soren Hess-Olesen, Texas (S)
Jackson Withrow, Texas A&M (D)
Junior Ore, Texas A&M (D)
Japie De Kierk, Tulsa (S)
Marcos Giron, UCLA (S)
Emilio Gomez, Southern Cal (S)
Ray Sarmiento, Southern Cal (S)
Yannick Hanfmann, Southern Cal (S)
Ryan Lipman, Vanderbilt (S)
Alex Domijan, Virginia (S)
Jarmere Jenkins, Virginia (S/D)
Mac Styslinger, Virginia (D)
Kyle McMorrow, Washington (S)