This decade has been the most successful in the Southwestern men's tennis' program's history. In the past 10 years, the Pirates have seen the first national rankings in program history, ending the 2020 season ranked No. 23 by the ITA — its best national ranking.
From 2010-2020, the Pirates got their first NCAA National Championship doubles appearance in 2017 and singles appearance in 2018, earning the program's first All-American, as well as its first nationally-ranked player and doubles team. The men's tennis team has had 26 All-SCAC selections this decade, with Billy Porter winning two Regional and SCAC Coach of the Year awards, two SCAC Newcomer of the Year awards, and one SCAC Player of the Year.
From that list, Southwestern presents its Men's Tennis All-Decade Team.
Alexis Dimanche | 2016-2020 | Athlete of the Decade
Dimanche finished his career with the record for most wins in program history, finishing with 131 to surpass Niko Snovely's 123. He opened his career by winning the SCAC Newcomer of the Year award in 2017, earning three Player of the Week honors, and going 20-2 in singles during the spring season. In 2018, he was the SCAC Player of the Year, making it to the NCAA Individual Championship Round of 16 and becoming the program's first All-American. He followed that up with a third consecutive All-SCAC season, winning the SCAC Elite 19 award.
He finished his career winning the ITA National Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award, SCAC Man of the Year, and ranked No. 27 nationally by the ITA.
Snovely was the program's first four-time All-SCAC selection. He opened his career with a 12-1 record from the No. 1 singles spot during the spring season, with his only loss coming against the No. 6 team in the nation. The next season, he led the Pirates to the SCAC Championship match for the first time in program history while the team set a then-program record with 17 wins. In his senior year, Snovely teamed with Grant Gideon to earn the first NCAA Championships appearance in the doubles bracket with a 19-4 record in the spring season.
Joseph has been an integral part of the Pirates' recent run up the national rankings, working as a strong No. 3 in the lineup and a consistent source of wins in doubles. He earned All-SCAC honors in 2019 and was 13-3 in singles and 14-4 in doubles during the spring season. In the shortened 2019-20 season, he was a perfect 6-0 in singles and 5-1 in doubles during the spring season.
Bajoit made a splash in his first season, advancing to the ITA Regional Championships semifinals to become ranked (10th) in the West Region and No. 47 in the ITA national rankings. Bajoit went on to earn All-SCAC honors and the 2019 SCAC Newcomer of the Year, going 18-4 at No. 2 singles and 14-9 in No. 1 doubles during the spring season. In his sophomore season, he finished ranked No. 16 in the West Region with a 5-1 record in No. 2 singles during the spring season.
Gideon was the second half of the doubles team that earned the first NCAA Championships appearance in program history. He finished his career right behind Snovely on the program's career wins list with 122. He earned All-SCAC honors in 2016 and 2017 and was Honorable Mention in 2018. He was the recipient of the West Region ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award in 2018.
Dulthummon finished his career with the second-most wins in program history, narrowly falling short in an in-season race between him and Dimanche with 129 wins. He also provided the clincher in the biggest win in program history to date with a winner-take-all three-set tiebreaker to upset No. 14 Trinity in 2018. He was All-SCAC Honorable Mention in 2017 and 2019, and All-SCAC in 2018.
Niko Snovely/Grant Gideon | 2014-2017
In their final season together, Snovey and Gideon went 19-4 at No. 1 doubles during the spring season, qualifying for the NCAA National Championship Tournament for the first time in program history. During the team season, the duo went 50-11 together over the course of their careers during the spring seasons.
Hunter Bajoit/Hemanshu Rambojun | 2019-2020
In their first tournament together, Bajoit and Rambojun defeated three seeded Trinity teams to advance to the ITA Regional Doubles Championships for the first time in program history. During the team season, the duo went 4-2 and finished ranked No. 20 in the nation.
Alex Joseph/Dean Dulthummon | 2018-2020
Joseph and Dulthummon were a stabilizing force in doubles as the Pirates climbed the national rankings. The duo scored a point for the Pirates against No. 3 Bowdoin from No. 2 doubles in 2019 and scored a big point in doubles to help the Pirates to a 5-4 upset of No. 18 Redlands in 2020. The duo went 14-4 in two years during the spring seasons.