May 22, 2002
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Notre Dame senior All-American Javier Taborga (La Paz, Bolivia) and assistant coach Billy Pate were recognized with national awards by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Wednesday evening. Taborga was named co-recipient of the Ted A. Farnsworth/ITA National Senior Player of the Year Award, along with Texas-Arlington’s Andy Leber. Pate, meanwhile, was named the ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year.
Taborga and Pate were named regional winners of their respective awards earlier this month and then were selected from the eight regional honorees for the national award.
Taborga is the second Irish player in three years to be named National Senior Player of the Year. Three-time All-American Ryan Sachire earned the award in 2000. Sachire is competing professionally and is ranked 331st in the world in doubles and 586th in singles in the latest rankings from the Association of Tennis Professionals.
The current Irish senior is ranked 15th in the nation in singles and fifth in doubles this season. He earned a seed in the NCAA Singles Championship, assuring him singles All-America honors, while he and classmate Casey Smith (Leawood, Kan.) will open play in the NCAA Doubles Championship on Thursday. Taborga, who is the second player in school history to earn three invitations to the NCAA Doubles Championship, finished the season 28-12 overall in singles and posted a 19-5 mark at No. 1. The Bolivian is 32-12 in doubles, tied with Smith for the most partnered victories in a season under Irish head coach Bob Bayliss. Taborga was ranked as high as 11th in the nation this season in singles, making him just the third player in school history to be listed as high. He is the only player in the country to have defeated both the current No. 1 singles player and No. 1 doubles team in the nation.
Pate is the first Irish assistant coach to win the national honor. He is in his second year at Notre Dame after serving as the head coach at Georgia Perimeter College from 1996-2000. His Jaguars were the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II champions in each of Pate’s final three seasons at the helm. He was named national junior college coach of the year three times and earned the United States Professional Tennis Association national college coach-of-the-year award in 1999. The Irish have compiled a 40-14 mark in the two years since Pate joined the program.
Other ITA national awardwinners announced Wednesday: Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year – Dick Leach of USC; ITA National Rookie of the Year – Jesse Witten of Kentucky; ITA National Player to Watch – Romain Ambert of Mississippi State; ITA/Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award – Al Garland of Pepperdine; ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship – Daniel Klemetz of Middle Tennessee; and John Van Nostrand Memorial Award – Peter Handoyo of Tennessee.
The ITA also inducted six former players and one former coach into its Hall of Fame on Wednesday. New members of the HOF: (players) Richard Harte of Harvard, Julius Seligson of Lehigh, Erick Iskersky of Trinity (Texas), Tim Mayotte of Stanford, Paul Annacone of Tennessee and Rick Leach of USC; and (coach) Bernis Duke of Oral Roberts.