CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia men’s tennis junior Carl Soderlund (Stockholm, Sweden) has been named the ITA Atlantic Region Player to Watch while Brandon Nakashima (San Diego, Calif.) was named the ITA Atlantic Region Rookie of the Year in honors released on Saturday (May 19) by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
 
The Player to Watch award is given to an individual who has been ranked nationally, is
expected to have an outstanding collegiate year next season as one of the top returning regional players and has yet to win one of the ITA or NCAA individual championships.
 
The Rookie of the Year is an honor given to a player competing in his first year in college tennis, has been nationally or regionally ranked and who has contributed most to their team in the areas of leadership, sportsmanship and performance during the year.
 
The honors are voted on by the regional awards committee.
 
Söderlund, the 2019 ACC Men’s Tennis Player of the Year, has earned All-America recognition by finishing the season ranked No. 3 in the Oracle ITA singles rankings. The three-time All-ACC honoree finished this year with a 20-5 mark in singles, including 13 wins over ranked opponents.
 
Nakashima joined the team in January and made an immediate impact, posting a 17-5 record in singles and a 20-3 record in doubles, including going 3-0 in singles in the NCAA Championship and 4-0 in doubles. The ACC Freshman of the Year is the only Cavalier player to be ranked in both doubles and singles, currently sitting at No. 82 in singles and No. 33 in doubles. He was the only freshman to earn First Team All-ACC honors this season.
 
National honors will be announced on Sunday (May 19).