The UNC Wilmington men’s tennis team has solidified a position as one of the top teams in both the Colonial Athletic Association and the country.

UNCW has won the CAA three out of the last five years (2009, 2011, 2013) and has made it to the NCAA regionals four out of the last five years (2009, 2011, 2012, 2013). During that time there have been numerous team accomplishments, as well as individual player honors.  

Seventh-year coach Mait DuBois has never had a losing season at UNCW. He has also been able to consistently identify top talent throughout the world and bring them to Wilmington.

“I think UNCW sells itself,” DuBois said. “I think it’s by far the nicest school in the conference, and it offers some things that no other school in the country can offer.”

DuBois went on to say, “The other thing is that the best players are looking for is a place where they can improve, have a shot at playing the best teams and maybe play professional tennis afterward.”

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (the governing body of collegiate tennis) ranked the Seahawks number 44 in the country in their preseason poll.

The Seahawks have already played three highly ranked teams, Florida, Florida State and Clemson, and have matches scheduled against four more ranked opponents this season (Yale, University of Central Florida, Elon and Virginia Commonwealth University).

DuBois sees this as a great opportunity for his team.

“You can’t expect to beat the best teams until you’ve gotten a couple shots at them,” DuBois said. “In tennis, you can only be as good as the people you’re playing against. We always try to schedule the top teams.”

One player who has helped the Seahawks achieve a national ranking is Peruvian senior Rafael Aita. Aita, who entered this season ranked number 42 in singles and number 15 in doubles with partner Sam Williams, has racked up a number of awards during his time at UNCW.

Aita is the only Seahawk to win CAA Player-of-the-Year and became the first player in program history to be named to the Davis Cup team, when Peru selected him earlier this year.

“It is a privilege to play for your own country,” Aita said. “It’s like a dream you follow your entire life, and once you get it you feel good about yourself, but I think of it as a milestone, not the end. It’s a goal that I achieved, but it’s just the beginning.” 

After missing the first three matches of the season due to Davis Cup competition, Aita returned last weekend when the Seahawks faced Clemson. He will continue to play this season, except for a brief period in April when Peru takes on Mexico in a Davis Cup match.

During DuBois’ tenure, the ITA has recognized 14 Seahawks for their academic success, and has recognized the team as a whole twice.

The minimum requirements for the awards are a 3.5 GPA for individuals and a 3.2 GPA for the team. The recognition becomes more impressive with the fact that for some members of the team English is their second language. 

“I’ve never known any high performing people that are only high performing in one or two aspects of their lives,” DuBois said. “If they are that way [high performing], then they try to be like that in all aspects of their lives, whether it’s in the classrooms or the tennis courts.” 

The Seahawks begin a five-match home stand this weekend when they take on Mercer on Saturday, Feb. 15, and the College of Charleston on Sunday, Feb. 16.