Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina men’s tennis swept the ITA Carolina Region rankings, coming in first place in each of the three ranking categories. The Gamecocks topped the team rankings, junior Daniel Rodrigues was first in singles and also claimed the top spot in doubles with sophomore Connor Thomson.
South Carolina went 23-7 on the season with a program best 10 wins in the SEC and a trip to the NCAA Round of 16 for the second-consecutive year. The Gamecocks ended the season at No. 10 in the ITA national team rankings, the highest final rank since the 1989 season. The Gamecocks have finished in the top-25 every season since 2017, the longest such streak in program history. Of the team’s 30 matches this season, 20 were against ranked opponents, and the Gamecocks earned 13 ranked wins with four of them over top-10 teams.
Rodrigues, the region’s No. 1 singles player, ended the season with a national ranking of No. 3, which ties for highest final rank in program history. The junior posted a 27-5 singles record on the season, compiling 20 wins over ranked opponents. His .844 season winning percentage ranks at 13th place in the program record book. He was the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Singles Championship and advanced to the Round of 16, qualifying him for All-America status, his second consecutive year earning the honor.
Rodrigues was joined in the regional singles rankings by sophomore Toby Samuel at No. 5, Thomson at No. 10 and junior Raphael Lambling at No. 19. Samuel primarily played at the No. 2 position for the Gamecocks and posted a 28-9 overall record on the season. He achieved a team high seven match clinches on the season and ended the regular season on a seven-match win streak. Samuel was named to the All-SEC First Team for his performances.
Thomson was a mainstay at the No. 3 position for South Carolina, putting up a 31-9 overall record on the season and a 21-5 record in dual match play. The sophomore ended the season on a five match win streak and accumulated six ranked wins with a season-best win over the nation’s No. 38 player. Thomson’s most notable performance of the season was his match clinch against then-No. 1 Tennessee on the road. The Glasgow, Scotland, native completed a near-impossible comeback after being down 0-6, 0-3 to clinch the match for the Gamecocks. He was named to the All-SEC Second Team for his season performance.
Lambling achieved a 27-11 record on the season and primarily played at the No. 4…