Columbia, S.C. – A pair of South Carolina men’s tennis players were named to the All-SEC Teams as announced by the conference on Thursday. Senior Toby Samuel was named to the First Team while fellow senior James Story earned his mark on the Second Team.
Samuel led the team from the top of the singles lineup this season where he is 19-5 overall and became the program’s first player to have a perfect SEC season thanks to his 10-0 mark against league opponents. He tallied 13 ranked wins with his highest over then-No. 22 Chris Rodesch of Virginia that helped the Gamecocks upset the then top-ranked Cavaliers.
Samuel currently sits at a season-high ranking of No. 8 in the country and he held a 15-match win streak in singles this season.
In doubles he posted 14 wins with 12 of them from the No. 1 position. He also tallied six ranked doubles victories with two of them over top-5 ranked pairs.
He has been ranked as high as No. 9 in the nation in doubles this season and is currently ranked at No. 18 with Casey Hoole and at No. 44 with Story.
Story earned his spot on the Second Team in part due to earning his first ranking of the season at No. 89. The Cardiff, Wales, native tallied 12 singles wins with five of them in SEC play and three at the SEC Tournament.
He won 14 doubles matches with four over SEC opponents and had a 10-7 record from the No. 2 spot in the doubles lineup.
At the SEC Tournament, Story went 3-1 from the No. 2 spot in the singles lineup that included wins over then-No. 46 Petar Jovanovic and then-No. 33 Shunsuke Mitsui. He also claimed a pair of ranked doubles wins with Toby Samuel with their highest over then-No. 4 Johannus Monday and Angel Diaz of Tennessee.
This marks the fourth time of his career that Samuel has been acknowledged by the SEC. As a freshman, he was named to both the All-Freshman Team as well as the Second Team and this is his third consecutive year making the All-SEC First Team.
The honor is also a repeat for Story who now claims the title of two-time All-SEC Second Team after having earned the recognition in both 2023 and 2024.
Samuel, Story and the Gamecocks now await the NCAA Selection Show that will air on Monday, April 29 at 6:00 p.m.
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