ROME, GEGA – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is pleased to announce the selection of Advik Mareedu (CMS) and Natasha Sengphrachanh (Grand Valley State) as winners of the 2025 ITA Cup James O’Hara Sargent Sportsmanship Award.
The James O’Hara Sargent Sportsmanship Award, presented each year at the conclusion of the ITA Cup, recognizes two student-athletes who exemplify the spirit of college tennis and demonstrate great sportsmanship throughout the tournament. To be eligible for this award, student-athletes must have reached the finals of the main draw singles.
As the men’s winner for the second year in a row, Advik Mareedu was once again a shining star for Division III tennis and CMS at the 2025 ITA Cup. Now a senior, Mareedu fell just short of winning his third ITA Cup Division III men’s singles title this year, but he remains just one of three players to have won the title twice in the tournament’s history.
As someone who has remained at or near the top of the ITA Singles Rankings throughout his career, Mareedu has been a pillar of consistency and success during his time at CMS. Mareedu won the 2025 NCAA Division III men’s singles title last May in Claremont, went an astonishing 41-1 overall in singles matches last season and finished the year as the No. 1 ranked player in the country.
“It is an honor to receive this award again,” said Mareedu. “I would like to thank my family, friends, teammates and coaches for guiding me and showing me how to conduct myself both on and off the field. I couldn’t have done this without them.”
This season, Mareedu is back for his final year and will look to add to what has already been a record-setting career for the Stags. After winning the ITA National Team Indoor Championship this past year, Mareedu and his teammates are looking to defend their indoor title and reach the highest heights outdoors when the NCAA Team Championships take place in May.
CMS head men’s tennis coach Paul Settles said the following when asked about Advik and his performance. “Advik honors the sport, his opponent and his team every time he competes,” Settles said. “He is an extraordinary representative of collegiate tennis.”
The winner of the ITA Cup Women’s James O’Hara Sargent Sportsmanship Award has been awarded to Natasha Sengphrachanh. After winning the ITA Midwest Regional Singles title and becoming the first Grand Valley State Women’s Tennis player to compete in the ITA Cup, Sengphrachanh continued her historic dominance in Rome by winning the first ITA Cup championship in program history.
Sengphrachanh dropped just two sets in regional play and continued to shine at the national level, dropping just two sets in four matches, while only four matches were played in 28 matches in her first two rounds of matches. Over the course of the tournament, Sengphrachanh recorded victories over the No. 2, No. 5 and No. 11 ranked players in the 2024-25 ITA Year-End Singles Rankings.
“I am truly grateful to have received this award,” said Sengphrachanh. “I always strive to be a fair and respectful competitor because I believe that sportsmanship is at the heart of not only a good player or team, but a better world. To me, winning with grace and losing with dignity are two sides of the same coin, and I am honored that that is being recognized. I would like to thank my family, friends, coaches and teammates for their support and for reminding me that character counts just as much off the field matters.”
The championship marks the start of Sengphrachanh’s first real year of playing competitively at the collegiate level. She entered as a freshman last season and didn’t see any action in doubles matches, but will certainly be one of the top-ranked players in Division II women’s tennis during her sophomore season.
“I am incredibly proud of Natasha for receiving the James O’Hara Sportsmanship Award,” said Grand Valley State men’s and women’s tennis head coach Samantha Barr. “This recognition is so well-deserved, not only because of the way she competes during games, but also because of the character and integrity she shows every day in practice, off the field and in the way she treats others. She consistently represents GVSU with class and humility, and we couldn’t be more proud to have her as part of our program.”
The James O’Hara Sargent Sportsmanship Award is presented in memory of Jim Sargent, former media manager of Rolex Watch, USA, who was not only a great friend to college tennis, but also an ITA All-American who competed with exceptional success and sportsmanship at Lynchburg College and subsequently was a special partner to the ITA and all of college tennis in his role at Rolex.
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