James Trotter Named ITA National Most Improved Senior
6/12/2023 1:08:29 PM | Men's Tennis
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State graduate James Trotter had an amazing final season and has been named the ITA National Most Improved Senior.
Trotter began his career in 2018-19 with just a 10-3 record in both singles and doubles. He then capped his career five years later as one of the top players in the country, finishing this season with a 29-1 singles record and a 22-8 doubles record. He was the NCAA Doubles Championship, was both a singles and doubles All-American, was the Big Ten Tournament’s Most Valuable Player and was a first team All-Big Ten honoree.
“James had a really remarkable career,” director of tennis Ty Tucker said. “He was our MVP for this season, and he deserves the attention he will receive from this prestigious award. The goal for any college athlete should be to play their best in their final season. James was a two-time All-American this season, was the NCAA Doubles Champion and only lost one singles match.”
He is the first Buckeye to win the national award. He also was named the ITA Midwest Most Improved Senior, joining Peter Kobelt in 2014, Kevin Metka in 2015 and Hunter Tubert in 2019 as Buckeyes to win the regional award.
The Hyogo, Japan native was ranked in the Top 35 all season in singles and Top 25 in doubles, including seven weeks in the Top 10. He finished the season ranked No. 21 in singles and No. 6 in doubles.
“James will be missed,” Tucker continued. “He brought so much laughter to our team and always remained even keel in the biggest of moments on the court. I know we will struggle to replace his leadership but watching him develop into one of the best tennis players in college tennis was so much fun. His serve was world class and seeing him be recognized with this national award makes me feel darn good.”
Trotter was one of the leaders for a team that won a 17th consecutive Big Ten title, claimed the Big Ten Tournament title, reached the NCAA championship match for the third time in program history and finished with a 34-3 record.
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