2025 ITA Regional Awards: Men | Women
SEWARD, Neb. – Junior Hugo Fuentes and both the men’s and women’s tennis programs at Concordia University, Nebraska were honored for their service-mindedness by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) in an announcement on May 12. For his qualities that go beyond the results on the tennis court, Fuentes was recognized as the 2025 Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship award winner for the NAIA Central Region. In addition, Head Coach Lisa Hart’s programs were tabbed the ITA’s Community Service Award Winners for the NAIA Central Region.
With Fuentes taking home the Arthur Ashe regional honor, a Concordia Tennis student-athlete has earned this distinction for the second year in a row. Graduating senior Tessa Blough garnered Arthur Ashe regional and national awards in 2024.
Said Hart of Fuentes, “Hugo always has a professional and respectful attitude towards his opponents and the game. Hugo is a fantastic representative of Concordia Tennis and we are so proud of him.”
Added Hart, “We have made community service and serving others a part of our program. Our players understand the importance of giving back and we are very excited to be recognized with this award for both our programs.”
A native of Denia Spain, Fuentes is majoring in Physics and Math. The Arthur Ashe award is a prestigious honor that dates back to 1982 and is presented to men’s and women’s student-athletes who have exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership, as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements in ways that embody the legacy of tennis icon and humanitarian Arthur Ashe Jr.
Over the course of the 2024-25 academic year, Concordia Tennis participated in more than 100 hours of community service, including on-court and off-court activities. Some of the activities included bell ringing for the Salvation Army, fall clean-up projects around Seward, engagement with Seward Elementary School, volunteering at Ridgewood Retirement and Rehabilitation Center and volunteering at the Jays Club in Seward. The ITA Community Service Award honors teams that give back to their campus communities through tennis and non-tennis pathways.
On the court, the tennis programs achieved at a high level this past 2024-25 season. On the women’s side, the Bulldogs won the GPAC tournament title and advanced to the NAIA National Championships for the first time (as a team) in program history. In addition, both teams either equaled or surpassed school records for wins in a single season with 17 for the women and 14 for the men. The two programs also combined for eight NAIA Scholar-Athlete and six Academic All-District (College Sports Communicators) awards.