CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Head coach Brad Dancer and rising senior Kenta Miyoshi have both earned ITA Division I Men's Regional awards, the organization announced on Tuesday. Dancer was named the ITA Midwest Region Coach of the Year for the third time in his career, while Miyoshi secured ITA Midwest Region Player to Watch honors.
During the 2025 season, Dancer led the Fighting Illini to the NCAA Tournament for the 18th time across his 20 years at the helm. Illinois finished the year with 15 victories, marking the 18th campaign with at least 15 wins under Dancer's leadership. Advancing to the quarterfinals at the conference tournament, the Orange and Blue tallied seven Big Ten regular-season triumphs, three of which came away from home, while the Illini registered a 7-2 record on their home courts.
Dancer also earned Midwest Region Coach of the Year accolades during the 2014-15 and 2020-21 seasons. The 2014-15 campaign saw the Illini finish with a 27-5 mark and advance to the third round at the NCAA Tournament after winning both the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles. In 2020-21, Dancer led Illinois to a 23-3 overall record and a 15-1 tally in conference play en route to Big Ten regular-season and tournament championships. The Illini also advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament that season.
Dancer also played a significant role in the development of Miyoshi, who put together one of the most impressive seasons in program history in 2025. After earning ITA Singles All-America status in the fall in his debut appearance at the NCAA Singles Championship, Miyoshi carried that momentum into the spring.Â
The Kawasaki, Japan, native was named the Big Ten Player of the Year and collected unanimous All-Big Ten First Team honors following the regular season, and he finished his junior year with a career-high 30 singles wins, including 20 such victories against ranked opponents. With his career-high No. 10 spot in the final ITA singles rankings, Miyoshi qualified for the ATP Next Gen Accelerator program, giving him opportunities to receive wild-card entry into the main draw of six Challenger 50 and 75 tournaments through the remainder of the 2025 pro circuit.
Also finding success in the classroom, Miyoshi was tabbed with CSC Academic All-America First Team distinction, the first student-athlete in program history to achieve that accolade.
The ITA Player to Watch award recognizes a returning player who is expected to have an outstanding collegiate year next season and be one of the top returning regional players.Â
Dancer and Miyoshi are now finalists for ITA national awards, which will feature candidates from each of the 13 ITA regions.
