SEWARD, NEB. - The International Tennis Association (ITA) unveiled the 2026 Scholar-athletes and the all-academic team lists on Thursday (July 17). A whopping 11 Bulldogs were awarded the honor and Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Tennis was one of 19 teams to make the all-academic roster.
“I am extremely proud of our players’ commitment and dedication to their academic endeavors,” commented Head Coach Lisa Hart. “They have done an incredible job performing at an elite level on the court and in the classroom.”
The 11 athletes were Daniel Caballeros, Hugo Fuentes, Gavin Martens, Leo Lopez, Ethan Phinney, Michael Bedrosian, Joseph Melzer, Ben Chisholm, Nick Velders, Ben Firminhac and Mitch Krumm.
To be elected for the honor, each student must have at least a 3.5 grade point average and be eligible as an athlete. To be chosen as an all-academic team, they must have a collective grade point average of 3.2, and all students listed, including all varsity players, must be eligible. For this season, 163 NAIA men’s student-athletes were named an ITA Scholar-Athlete.
The 2025-26 team won the most duals (17) in the program’s history last season.
2025-26 ITA Scholar-Athletes
· Daniel Caballeros
· Hugo Fuentes Gomez
· Gavin Martens
· Leonardo Lopez
· Ethan Phinney
· Michael Bedrosian
· Joseph Melzer
· Benjamin Chisholm
· Nick Velders
· Benjamin Firminhac
· Mitch Krumm