May 3, 2018
By Joanne Norell
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – After leading the University of Notre Dame men’s tennis program to its best win total in five seasons, junior Alex Lebedev and freshman Richard Ciamarra have been named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference teams, the league announced Thursday.
Lebedev was named to the conference’s second team, while Ciamarra capped his rookie season on the third team. It is the first career all-conference honor for each player.
“What an outstanding accomplishment for Alex and Richard,” Callaghan Family Head Men’s Tennis Coach Ryan Sachire said. “Both of them work extremely hard and have earned the success that they have achieved. The ACC is arguably the deepest conference in the country, and for these individuals to be voted onto the All-ACC Team by opposing coaches speaks volumes to the level that they played at throughout this past season.”
A native of Island Park, New York, Lebedev has led the Irish atop the lineup this season and currently ranks at No. 34 in the Oracle/ITA singles rankings. He boasts an 18-14 overall record, including 10-10 in dual matches, and he his 5-3 in his last 10 contests (two unfinished matches). Since last summer, Lebedev has assembled a resume that includes the ITA Summer National Championship title, trips to the Round of 16 at the ITA All-American Championship and ITA Fall National Championship and nine victories over ranked opponents. Lebedev will also compete in the NCAA Singles Championship, May 23-28 at Wake Forest.
Ciamarra, from Southington, Connecticut, has moved steadily up the lineup to the No. 2 spot after starting the year 4-0 at No. 5. He leads the Irish in singles wins with a 23-16 record, including 19-9 in dual matches.
Lebedev, Ciamarra and the Irish will next be in action against Western Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Championship at 10 a.m. ET, May 12 at Michigan’s Varsity Tennis Center.
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Joanne Norell, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2014 and coordinates communications efforts for the Notre Dame men’s tennis and fencing programs, in addition to assisting with football communications and overseeing production of the football Gameday Magazine. Norell is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University and earned her master’s degree from Georgetown University in 2013.