Samuel, Thomson End Season Atop ITA Rankings
Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina men’s tennis juniors Connor Thomson and Toby Samuel ended the season ranked No. 1 in the ITA Doubles Rankings, the first pair in program history to ever end the season at the top of the ITA Rankings.
Samuel and Thomson ended their doubles season with a 27-9 record including 12 ranked wins with four of those in the top-10. Their most notable wins of the season came over then-No. 2 Johannus Monday and Pat Harper of Tennessee during the regular season and then-No. 4 Monday and Harper during the NCAA Super Regionals at Tennessee.
The pair of Gamecocks had a successful fall season, going a perfect 7-0 together with four of those wins coming over ranked opponents en rounte to the ITA All-American Doubles title. The Gamecocks went on to clinch the title with a win over then-No. 26 Brian Cernoch and Ryan Seggerman of North Carolina, becoming the first in program history to ever capture an All-American Championship title.
During the spring semester, the duo spent all but one ranking at No. 1 thanks to their 19-4 dual record from the No. 1 spot in the lineup. They are also the first doubles pair in program history to hit No. 1 in the ITA doubles rankings. Together they clinched a total of nine doubles points for the team.
Samuel and Thomson entered the NCAA Doubles Championships as the No. 1 overall seed, the first top seed in an NCAA Tournament in program history. For entering as the top seed, the pair will be named ITA All-Americans in doubles, the first honor of Samuel’s career and second for Thomson.
While having one of the best doubles seasons in program history, both players also found success in singles with Samuel ending the year at No. 10 and Thomson ending at No. 17.
Samuel put up a record of 24-5 this season with a 19-4 mark from the No. 1 spot in the lineup. He went 15-5 against ranked opponents including three wins over top-10 players.
Thomson put up a team-leading record of 35-7 this season, going 15-3 in tournament play and 20-4 in dual matches. He went 14-4 against ranked foes and also recorded three wins over top-10 opponents.
Sophomore Casey Hoole also represented the team in the ITA End of Year Singles Rankings, coming in at No. 112. Hoole rode on the success of his stellar fall season where he went 15-5 and earned the title of ITA Carolina Region Champion. He amassed a total record of 28-17 this season including a new career-high ranked win over No. 23 Alexander Hoogmartens of UCLA at the ITA Fall National Championships.
Junior James Story also found his way into the final rankings, claiming the No. 122 spot. Story put up an overall record of 22-13 this season with a 15-6 mark in dual play. He went 11-3 at the No. 4 position and 4-4 at the No. 3 position.
Story and doubles partner Jake Beasley also made their way into the final ITA Doubles Rankings. The duo ranked at No. 41 to complete the season and had an overall record of 24-13. They went 8-2 in tournament play and 16-11 in dual action, at one point going on an 11-match win streak.
The full final ITA Rankings can be found here.
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ITA Singles Rankings
10 – Toby Samuel
17 – Connor Thomson
112 – Casey Hoole
122 – James Story
ITA Doubles Rankings
1 – Connor Thomson/Toby Samuel
41 – Jake Beasley/James Story
