June 1, 2011
LEXINGTON, Ky. — For the second consecutive season, University of Kentucky men’s tennis junior Eric Quigley has been named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-America honoree, becoming only the fifth player in school history to receive three of more All-America honors during a career.
“This is a great way for Eric to cap what has been a very good junior season,” UK head coach Dennis Emery said. “We think it positions him perfectly to make a run at the national championship his senior year.”
Quigley, who was named a singles and doubles All-America last season, earned the honor of singles All-America in 2011 after being seeded in the top 16 of the NCAA Singles Championship. The All-America honor is the third of Quigley’s record-breaking career so far at UK, placing him on a prestigious list of UK players that have earned three of more All-America honors.
The UK junior becomes Kentucky’s fifth three-time All-American, joining five-time All-American Jesse Witten (singles 2002-05, doubles 2005), four-time All-American Greg Van Emburgh (singles and doubles 1987-88) and three-time All-Americans Rich Benson (doubles 1987-89) and Cedric Kauffmann (singles 1996-98). Quigley is also the third player in UK history to earn two singles All-America honors before his senior season, joining Witten and Kauffmann.
Quigley is fresh off a historic junior season where he record 45 singles wins, tying the school record for single wins in a season. The record is also held by Joe Leytze, who had 45 wins during the 1982 season. The All-American ended the season with a 22-10 record in dual matches, while he earned a 28-13 combined record during the 2010-11 season against ranked foes, including three wins against players ranked in the top five. Quigley, who was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation during the year, never fell out of the top eight throughout the season.
The native of Pewee Valley, Ky., was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Week for April 4-10 after he took down the third-ranked player in the nation in Blaz Rola of top-three ranked Ohio State. Quigley was also named a first team All-SEC performer for the second consecutive season. The junior has been a vital part of the Wildcats’ success with Kentucky holding a 20-2 record this season when he earned a win at No. 1 singles.
During the fall, Quigley advanced to the finals of the ITA/D’Novo All-American Championships, becoming only the sixth player in school history to compete in the finals of a collegiate tennis grand slam. Quigley performed well in all five tournaments he played in last fall, including winning his second straight USTA/ITA Ohio Valley Regional singles title and advancing to the finals of the SEC Coaches Indoor Championships, defeating then-No. 1 JP Smith of Tennessee in both tournaments. The junior ended the fall with a 22-4 record with wins over Nos. 1 (twice), 13 (twice), 21, 26 (twice), 28, 30, 31, 33, 44, 45 and 47.
A complete list of ITA All-Americans will be announced after the final individual singles and doubles rankings are released on June 8. A player receives All-America status if they meet one of the following criteria: earn a top-16 seed in the NCAA Singles Championship, reach the NCAA Singles Championship round of 16, or finish in the top 20 of the final ITA rankings.
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