Samuel Named ITA Carolina Region Senior Player of the Year

Columbia, S.C. – The recognitions continue to roll in for South Carolina men’s tennis senior Toby Samuel as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced him as the Carolina Region Senior Player of the Year on Wednesday.

After taking the fall semester off this season, Samuel returned in the spring to lead the team with a 21-6 singles record that included 14 wins over ranked opponents. His highest ranked win of the season came over then-No. 22 Chris Rodesch of Virginia and the win helped him climb the rankings, peaking at No. 6 and concluding the season at No. 9 in the nation.

Samuel went 21-5 from the top of the singles lineup and at one point completed a 15-match win streak. He also became the first player in program history to go perfect in SEC play thanks to his 10-0 mark against conference opponents, all from the No. 1 position.

In doubles, Samuel tallied 16 wins with 14 of them from the top of the lineup. His resume included six ranked wins with two of them over top-5 opponents. He ranked as high as No. 9 in the nation in doubles was ended the season in the national doubles rankings twice with two different partners.

Samuel qualified for both the NCAA Singles and Doubles Tournaments for the second consecutive season and was named an ITA All-American in singles for entering the singles tournament as the No. 4 seed.

The Bournemouth, England, native was also an All-SEC First Team selection and was chosen as a member of the ATP Challenger Tour’s Next Gen Accelerator program.

Samuel is the fifth player in program history to earn a regional senior player of the year honor and second under head coach Josh Goffi. Daniel Rodrigues was the last Gamecock to receive the recognition in 2022 and he was the first since Guillaume Legat in 2001.

For all the latest South Carolina men’s tennis information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).