May 15, 2006

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Two Illini netters garnered regional awards released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Illinois senior standout Ryler DeHeart garnered the ITA Senior Player of the Year for the Midwest Region in addition to being named a finalist for the John Van Nostrand Memorial Award. Sophomore sensation Kevin Anderson received the ITA Midwest Region Player to Watch award. The national winners will be announced on May 22.

"The awards are just a few more accomplishments to a long list of honors in Ryler's phenomenal career," head coach Brad Dancer said. "He will continue to gain accolades as he moves on to the professional ranks. Kevin is a great choice for Player to watch - he's had a good year despite a few injuries and I feel he'll back up the award the remainder of the spring and next year."

The Player to Watch Award goes to a player who has an outstanding season and is expected to perform at a high level the rest of his or her career. This award's criteria also includes a player's sportsmanship and character. The John Van Nostrand Memorial Award is a stipend that goes to an outstanding senior men's player who plans to pursue a professional career after college. The Van Nostrand Award nominees are not regional award winners, but rather nominees put forth by their respective regional committees for the national award consideration.

DeHeart was the No. 1 ranked player in the Fila/ITA fall rankings and has a team leading 37-6 record while Anderson has an impressive 24-3 record.

The Fighting Illini take on 2005 Champion UCLA in the Round of 16 in the NCAA tournament in Palo Alto, Calif., on May 20. Both players were selected to participate in the NCAA singles and doubles tournament, which begins at the conclusion of the team tournament on May 24.