May 9, 2016

By Joanne Norell

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – A pair of University of Notre Dame men’s tennis seniors have been rewarded for their strong work ethic both on and off the court as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced its regional award winners Monday.

Quentin Monaghan was named the Midwest region winner of the ITA/Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award, while Alex Lawson was named the Most Improved Player of the Year, which is given to a senior each year. Both Irish student-athletes will be considered for national awards, which will be announced May 24.

Monaghan and Lawson were selected by an awards committee comprised of select coaches in each region.

The Arthur Ashe award recognizes men’s and women’s players at all collegiate divisions who have exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements. Monaghan, an All-American and two-time Irish captain, has anchored the Irish lineup throughout his career while also earning conference academic honors in each of the last three seasons. Last week, he was selected to competed at this year’s NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships following the national team championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Monaghan is the fifth Irish player to have been awarded the Midwest ITA/Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. He joins Chuck Coleman (’93), Mike Sprouse (’96, ’96), Brent D’Amico (’05) and Greg Andrews (’14) on that list.

Lawson earned most-improved honors after compiling a 21-11 overall doubles record, including a 12-8 dual mark, as well as a 13-16 overall record in singles. He currently ranks third on Notre Dame’s all-time doubles win list with a record of 91-53 and will make his third straight NCAA Doubles Championship appearance this spring. Significantly, Lawson clinched Notre Dame’s 5-2 win over No. 1 North Carolina on April 8, after which he was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Co-Player of the Week. This fall, he claimed the ITA Midwest Regional Doubles Championship with Monaghan, and was a semifinalist at the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Doubles Championship.

The Irish will make their 12th straight NCAA Division I Men’s Championship appearance on Saturday when they take on Stanford in the first round in Evanston, Illinois.

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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 women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and fencing programs. Norell is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University and earned her master’s degree from Georgetown University in 2013.