Men’s Tennis | 4/15/2026 4:07:00 PM
FAIRFAX, Va. – Rodrigo Alves of the North Carolina Central males’s tennis crew has been named a finalist for the 2026 Arthur Ashe Jr. Male Sports Scholar of the Year, as introduced by the EDU Ledger. A particular version highlighting the honorees shall be revealed this summer time.
“The edition is part of our decades-long tradition of recognizing outstanding young men and women who have distinguished themselves in their academic, athletic and civic pursuits,” as said within the EDU Ledger.
Alves is one in all 10 male student-athletes chosen as finalists, representing sports activities together with soccer, soccer, basketball, monitor and area, cross nation and golf. An extra 10 feminine finalists have been additionally chosen from a pool of greater than 900 nominated scholar-athletes.
To be thought of for the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar honor, student-athletes should maintain at the least a 3.5 cumulative GPA and be at the least a sophomore academically. Selection additionally emphasizes neighborhood service and athletic achievement.
A local of Porto, Portugal, Alves has spent the previous two seasons at NC Central after transferring from Chicago State. Last season, he earned ITA Scholar-Athlete honors and was named to the All-MEAC Second Team, MEAC All-Academic Team, CSC Academic All-District Team and ITA All-Academic Team. He is a enterprise administration main.
With one regular-season match remaining, Alves holds a 10-6 singles report this spring, primarily competing on the No. 2 place. The senior has recorded wins over Campbell, Davidson, UNC Asheville, Fairfield, Morgan State and Norfolk State. He additionally helped lead NCCU to the HBCU National Tennis Championship title final fall.
Off the courtroom, Alves is lively in neighborhood service alongside his teammates. The Eagles host Tennis Daze yearly, giving native residents, college students and workers a possibility to study tennis expertise. The program additionally participates in recognizing the Teachers of the Month within the space and has labored with the Emily Okay Center.
NC Central has beforehand had a number of student-athletes acknowledged by the EDU Ledger, together with Christine Alcox (volleyball) and Bhrandi Crenshaw (monitor and area) in 2021, in addition to Brooks Campbell (males’s tennis), Rodneysha Martin (girls’s basketball) and Miriam Duen (softball) in 2019. Campbell superior to the nationwide semifinalist stage for the award.
The EDU Ledger’s particular report version shall be launched June 4, with semifinalists and winners from every sport class introduced upfront.
For extra info on NCCU Athletics, go to NCCUEaglePride.com.