Although the UNM men’s tennis team’s season ended with a third-place finish at the Mountain West Conference Tournament and no postseason bid, its number one player, senior Takeshi Itoh, had a busy end to his year.
Following the Lobos’ exit from the Mountain West Conference Tournament, Itoh, along with Michael Polasek and Bart Scott, were named to the all-conference team. Itoh also received the Region 7 Tennis Magazine/Arthur Ashe Jr. Sportsmanship and Leadership Award as selected by the International Tennis Association. He was one of eight men’s tennis players nationwide selected and as a finalist for the honor, which will be given in New York City in September.
To cap his UNM career, Itoh received a call from the NCAA to compete in its men’s singles tournament in Athens, Ga., May 22-24. Though Itoh lost 6-4, 6-1 in the first round to the 20th-ranked player in the nation — Duke University’s Ramsey Smith — he described the opportunity to play with the nation’s elite as once-in-a-lifetime.
“It was unbelievable; it was really a great experience for me,” Itoh said. “I have played many tough players before so I don’t think it was the toughest match I’ve had. I just didn’t have the fire, and he played well and was much better than me on that day.”
Itoh said that his lack of motivation might have been due to the adjustment of not having his teammates around for moral support.
“I wish that the team could have gone,” he said. “We could have practiced together, and maybe that would have given me more incentive. I really didn’t expect to be there.”
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Though Itoh is now known for his performance as a player, he was pleasantly surprised when he received the Sportsmanship and Leadership Award, which recognizes a player’s demeanor on the court.
“It’s a good feeling, obviously,” Itoh said. “There’s only eight people in the nation, and I was one of them. I told my family and they’re very happy about it.”
Itoh, who describes himself as soft-spoken, said the award was even more of a surprise since he is not a vocal leader for the team.
“Most of the time it was someone else doing the talking,” Itoh said. “I didn’t have to say much because other guys did that and kept the team going.”
Itoh plans to graduate in December and continue practicing with the team. He said that if a sponsor comes calling he will have to be in playing shape, though he admitted that an entry into the professional ranks is a tough road.
As for his final statistics as a Lobo, Itoh finished with 95 career singles wins, just one win shy of Pepe Caballero’s record of 96. Itoh said he was not searching to break records when he signed to play for the Lobos, but admits the recognition might have been exciting.
“To break the record would have been nice, so I could look back in the future and see my name in there,” Itoh said. “This wasn’t my goal, it just happened that I came close to being one of the best. It’s good to be recognized, but it’s not that big of a deal.”
Itoh credited his success at UNM to his teammates and coaches.
“I got a lot of support from them and UNM gave me a great opportunity, so I’m really glad that I came here,” Itoh said. “It was a great career that I had here. I’m really happy about everything.”
