ODESSA, Texas – The UT Permian Basin men's tennis team got some good news today (May 29), as they found out they finished the 2023-24 season ranked 24^th in the nation in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings.

"Being ranked in the top 25 teams in the country is a really cool thing to see. In my head, I believe we had the season of a top 20, maybe even a top 15 team in the country, but there is no point arguing with computerized rankings," said Head women's and men's coach Alex Hunt. "Rankings are never anything we strive for, or put all of our focus on, but there is value in the rankings because they are yet another thing showing that what we are doing here at UTPB is definitely working. We are proud to have made the leaps and bounds that we have this year, and are definitely striving for more. Go Falcons!"

The Falcons also had two singles player and a doubles team make the final rankings for the season.

Vitaliy Horovoy, who was the Lone Star Conference Player of the Year and First Team Singles, earned ITA All-American honors and finished the season ranked the No. 13 singles player in the nation. Horovoy finished the season with a 23-6 overall record.

"It feels incredible. It's something that not a lot of players in college can achieve and I spent countless hours of very hard work on my mentality and physical strength, said Horovoy on being named an ITA All-American.  "I always kept the quote in my head that, 'Good habits don't pay off right away, but they do in the future.' This idea helped me stay on track and stay disciplined in every aspect of my life. I overcame myself, and here is the result. I couldn't be more grateful to have this award and I am ready for new challenges!"

Takumi Katsuda also finished the season ranked nationally in singles. Katsuda who finished the season with a 20-12 overall record, is ranked 65^th in the final ITA rankings and also earned himself a spot on the double's rankings.

Paired with fellow teammate Jonas Krahofer, they were a scary duo to face on the court, leading to them having a 10-3 overall record and being crowned ITA Regional Doubles Champions in September of 2023. The success the duo had on the court, has resulted in them being ranked the 26^th doubles team in the nation.