GREENSBORO, N.C. – Four members of the Guilford College men's tennis team,
Brandon Hermes (West Hartford, Conn.),
Andres Mercedes (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic),
Rylan Tuten (Asheville, N.C.), and
Evan Wong (Greensboro, N.C.) were honored for their athletic and academic excellence by getting named to the Collegiate Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team and Mercedes was selected to advance to the national ballot for a chance to earn Academic All-American status, as announced by the organization on Tuesday.
In order to qualify for the honor in tennis, student-athletes must be at least an academic and athletic sophomore, maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher in the classroom. Meanwhile, a nominee must be in the lineup for 70% of the team's total competitions. No more than four student-athletes may be a nominee in tennis per school, per gender.
Already among the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's (ODAC) best players entering this season having been named Second Team All-ODAC in both Singles and Doubles in each of his underclass seasons, Mercedes further elevated his game this season competing in all 19 of the team's competitions, including their 17 duals, racking up a brilliant 31-5 combined record along the way as Guilford's top option in both singles and doubles. Opening the season by winning the top flight of singles at the Methodist Men's Fall Invite Tournament, Mercedes rode that momentum the rest of the year to go 17-1 overall individually including 8-1 in league play. Paired with Hermes for virtually the entirety of the season in doubles, he recorded a 14-4 mark when partnered up going 7-2 against conference competition. The 2025 male recipient of the Jack Jensen Ideal Student-Athlete Award as distributed by the GC Athletics Department, Mercedes stands out with a 3.98 GPA within the Guilford Business Administration program. For his excellence on and off the court, he was selected as one of 62 players nationally to advance to the national ballot and be in the running for CSC Academic All-American honors, one of just six players in the ODAC to move on with a chance at the distinction. The national ballot will factor in an athlete's academic and athletic achievement, in addition to their leadership on-and-off the clay.
Playing from the second flight for Guilford in singles, and alongside Mercedes in the top flight of doubles, Hermes accumulated a cumulative record of 20-16 this season for GC over 18 of the team's 19 competitions. The second-year Quaker thrived against the opposition's best, going 14-4, including 7-2 in ODAC play, when he competed in doubles this season opposite the other team's top pairings. Meanwhile, in singles, Hermes accumulated an 6-12 overall mark while going 3-5 in league action. Academically, the Connecticut native has a 3.80 cumulative GPA within the Cyber & Network Security program.
An option lower in the lineup for Guilford, playing primarily out of the fourth flight of singles and third flight of doubles, Tuten went 15-18 overall this year for the men's tennis squad, cracking the Quaker lineup in 18 of their 19 competitions. Really effective against conference foes, the junior went just 6-9 overall in singles, but stood out with a 5-2 record in ODAC play when playing solo. Most often sharing the court with Wong in doubles, but also playing a number matches alongside
Emmanuel Oye (Clayton, N.C.) in doubles, Tuten evenly split his results with a 9-9 mark overall, including 4-8 from the third flight and 3-3 against conference competition. Standing with a 3.56 GPA, Tuten is progressing towards his degree in Business Administration.
Wong, the only senior on the Quakers this season, was another depth option for GC finishing the season 8-24 combined overall. Playing in 18 of the 19 competitions that the team participated in, he went 2-12 in singles play with both of his victories coming in league action, finishing 2-5 against such competition. Matched with Tuten most commonly, but also playing multiple matches with
Henry Austin (Winterville, N.C.), Wong was much better in doubles going 6-12 overall and 3-3 in ODAC play. Putting his finishing touches on a degree in Computing Technology and Info Systems, Wong owns a GPA of 3.71.
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