Riffice Named ITA National Player to Watch
Marks the second consecutive year a Gator has received the nod
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Florida men’s tennis captain Sam Riffice was named the ITA Division I Men’s National Player to Watch, as announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) during their virtual awards ceremony on Monday.
Just a week after being named the 2020 Southeast Region Player to Watch, Riffice claims National Player to Watch honors to make it the second straight year a Gator has tallied regional and national Player to Watch awards, as Oliver Crawford claimed ITA Regional and National Player to Watch accolades in 2019.
Riffice produced a solid sophomore campaign prior to the season’s end, finishing 16-4 overall in singles and 14-3 in doubles.
In the fall, the Orlando, Fla. native reached the singles finals of the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla., becoming the first Gator to finish national runner-up since Daniel Courcol in 1992. Riffice reached a career-high ranking of No. 4 throughout the dual season as he recorded an 11-3 record in singles, with a 9-2 mark at the No. 2 position, and 3-1 record through SEC competition. Additionally, the sophomore clinched three matches for the Gators this season (Stetson, Illinois, Auburn).
Crawford and Riffice went 9-2 together at the top spot for the Gators in doubles, finishing 3-0 in SEC play, as the pair opened the season on a six-match win streak that included a top-five win over Columbia’s Jack Lin and Jackie Tang – who were also named ITA All-Americans. The tandem reached a career-high ranking of No. 13 prior to finishing ranked No. 14, as the duo also won the consolation doubles draw of the ITA All-American Championships in the fall.
In 2019, Riffice posted 26 overall singles wins and a team-high 19 dual wins, finishing 10-0 in SEC singles play as the first Florida rookie since to do so 2007, to help lead UF to its first outright SEC title in 16 years and a NCAA Final Four appearance. The Orlando, Fla. native also earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Singles Championships and advanced further than any freshman in the country to earn his first ITA All-American singles honor.
A three-time ITA All-American, Riffice holds career overall records of 42-15 in singles and 34-9 in doubles.
