Illinois Tabbed ITA All-Academic Team, Five Illini Earn ITA Scholar-Athlete Status

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois men’s tennis program as a whole and five Fighting Illini student-athletes received individual recognition from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association for their work on the court in the classroom during the 2023-24 academic year, the organization announced on Monday.

The Illini exceeded the benchmark of a GPA of 3.2, which was necessary to qualify for the ITA All-Academic Team award. Mathis Debru, Kenta Miyoshi, Oliver Okonkwo, Zachary Viiala, and Jeremy Zhang were named ITA Scholar-Athletes for earning at least a 3.50 GPA across the 2023-24 academic year.

Debru was an Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honoree during the 2023-24 academic year. Tallying double-digit wins in both singles and doubles play as a junior, the Grenoble, France, closed the 2024 season on a nine-game doubles winning streak. This marks the first ITA Scholar-Athlete recognition of Debru’s career.

Miyoshi earned several academic accolades following the 2023-24 academic year, including CSC Academic All-District, Academic All-Big Ten, and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honors. An All-Big Ten Second Team selection, Miyoshi led the Illini in singles wins in 2024 and secured ITA Scholar-Athlete status for the second consecutive season.

Okonkwo also received ITA Scholar-Athlete recognition for the second year in a row, and he was also named an Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honoree during his final season at Illinois. Okonkwo finished the year ranked No. 46 in doubles play, and he was the match-clinching point in the Illini’s win over No. 17 North Carolina on Feb. 3.

Viiala joined the Fighting Illini program in January and did not compete, but that did not stop him from finding success in the classroom. Viiala, a native of Australia, is set to make his collegiate debut during the 2024-25 season.

In his first season with the Orange and Blue, Zhang was tabbed with ITA Scholar-Athlete honors for the first time in his career. Recording a 17-10 singles record in 2024, Zhang played in 19 matches in the spring across Courts 4, 5, and 6.