University of Dayton junior Jordan Benjamin made school history Friday, earning one of the 64 spots in the NCAA men’s tennis singles championships. He’s the first Dayton tennis player to qualify.
Benjamin, who was 16-0 in No. 1 singles play, earned the Atlantic 10 Conference’s automatic berth. He ranked 121st in the latest International Tennis Association Division I ranking, which was released Thursday.
As a team, the Dayton men reached the A-10 tournament final before losing 4-1 to Virginia Commonwealth on April 29. Dayton finished 18-7.
Jordan Benjamin is headed to the NCAA Championships! Benjamin's 16-0 mark in singles play at the No. 1 spot in the lineup earned him the Atlantic 10 automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships hosted at Wake Forest University from May 23-28! pic.twitter.com/61OtKqepAD
— Dayton Flyers Tennis (@UDFlyerTennis) May 3, 2018
Just a note to mark how significant this is @univofdayton and for @UDFlyerTennis: Jordan Benjamin is the first Flyer tennis player to qualify for the NCAA Championships. (and with a perfect record, no less!) Proud of you, Jordan! https://t.co/IPUQK0x0MO
— Eric F. Spina (@DaytonPrezSpina) May 4, 2018
The tournament will be held May 23-28 at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex in Winston-Salem, N.C.
"Qualifying for the NCAA Championships means the world to me because of the hard work and sacrifices I've made over the three years that I've been a Flyer,” Benjamin said in a press release. I plan on training aggressively over the next few weeks, so I can make the most of this opportunity and play at the highest level in the coming weeks."
Benjamin is from Fairport, N.Y. He’s a graduate of the Harley School. Last season, he was 12-6 in singles play and 5-0 in the A-10. He made the All-A-10 first team. He was the A-10 Rookie of the Year in 2016. His twin sister, Kristina, is a member of the women’s tennis team.
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