CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia men’s tennis junior Dylan Dietrich and sophomore Keegan Rice have qualified for this year’s ATP Next Gen Accelerator Program, as announced today (June 11) by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
Created in 2023 to accelerate the professional development pathway for players in the American collegiate system, the ATP Next Gen Accelerator Program will once again offer men’s collegiate student-athletes an opportunity to jumpstart their professional careers on the ATP Challenger Tour.
Players ranked in the Top 20 of the ITA final singles rankings who have finished their education will be granted up to eight accelerator spots at Challenger 50 and 75 tournaments, with opportunities split between main-draw (Top 10) and qualifying (11-20). Players who reach the quarterfinal or better of the individual NCAA Division I Tennis Championship will also qualify for the Accelerator Program if not already eligible via their ITA ranking.
Players who remain in education and qualify for the program will receive six opportunities over six months (July–December), enabling them to benefit from the program during their college offseason and parts of their individual fall season.
Dietrich, the reigning ACC Player of the Year and NCAA Championships Tournament MVP, finished the season with a 29-4 record, including a dominant 24-1 mark on the top court in dual match play. He owns the No. 1 spot in the ITA singles rankings, where he has remained since April 7, with wins in his final 17 completed matches. He capped his season with a thrilling 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-4 win over Texas' third-ranked Sebastian Gorzny to clinch Virginia's seventh team NCAA title. With partner Måns Dahlberg, Dietrich was crowned 2025 NCAA Doubles Champion in the fall. He earned ITA Doubles All-America honors, his third consecutive ITA Singles All-America honor and was named a First-Team Academic All-American.
Rice led the Cavaliers with a 35-6 overall record this season, finishing the season at No. 12 in the ITA singles rankings. He qualified for the NCAA Singles Championship in the fall and amassed a 21-3 mark in dual matches playing primarily on court two. He was named to the NCAA Championships All-Tournament Team for Singles after earning five wins in Virginia's championship run and earned ITA Singles All-America honors.