Harwell Selected for NCAA Singles Championship

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt fifth-year senior George Harwell will make his first appearance at the NCAA Singles Championship at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex in Champaign, Illinois, beginning on May 23. Harwell is the first Commodore to compete in the singles championship since Cameron Klinger and Daniel Valent in 2018.

The individual championships will run from May 23-28 after the conclusion of the team tournament. Draws for the tournament will be announced at a later date nearing the conclusion of the NCAA Team Championship. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will play host to the NCAA combined tennis championships, which covers the team championship and individual tournament for both men and women.

In a list that includes associate head coach Ryan Lipman, Harwell becomes the 15th individual to represent the Black and Gold in the NCAA Singles Championship. Vandy’s best singles championship finish came in 2004 after two-time ITA All-American Chad Harris ended his run as a quarterfinalist, falling short to eventual semifinalist Gabor Zoltan Pelva of Auburn.

An All-SEC first team honoree, Harwell posted 20 singles wins on the season, including five ranked wins all on the top court. Harwell also had a historic regular season home finale on April 10 against in-state rival and No. 5 Tennessee, reaching 100 singles wins after defeating then-14^th ranked Adam Walton, who is the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Singles Championship. Earlier in the season, the Nashville native won a three-set thriller over No. 4 seed Liam Draxl of Kentucky, who was No. 94 on March 25, and the preseason No. 1 and 2021 NCAA singles semifinalist.

Ranked No. 33 in the latest ITA singles rankings and a mainstay at No. 1 singles, Harwell clinched three matches on the season and achieved a career-best singles ranking of 26th on Feb. 9.