ODESSA, Texas (January 30, 2025) – Thirty-eight student athletes were cited as Players to Watch during the Spring championship segment of the 2025 Lone Star Conference men's and women's tennis seasons announced today by the league office. Recognized from the University of Texas Permian Basin was Sergio Alejandro Gonzalez Ibanez and Jonathan Vega from the men's team and Brooke Runyan and Rhea Singh from the women's team.

Sergio Alejandro Gonzalez Ibanez is a junior transfer from Cowley College majoring in Management. He is from Bogota, Columbia.

Quote from Head Coach Chris Tolson: "Alejandro is a fantastic player with amazing court awareness and feel. While at Cowley, Alejandro made the ITA Cup in doubles and helped Cowley win a National Championship. Having his experience on the team, especially in high pressure situations, is going to help us compete to be one of the top teams in the conference and the nation."

Jonathan Vega is a senior from Fort Worth, Texas, majoring in Criminology.

Quote from Head Coach Chris Tolson: "Jonny is a fantastic leader and teammate. He was a big part in UTPB's success last year with a never say die attitude on court. He competes well and pushes his teammates to compete at a higher level. I see Jonny being able to finish the year as one of the top players in the conference and nationally ranked."

Brooke Runyan is a senior from Denton, Texas, majoring in Biology Pre-Med.

Quote from Head Coach Chris Tolson: "Brooke is the captain and leader of this team. Last year, Brooke finished the season winning over 50 percent of her matches at the number one position. With last years' experience and her incredible work ethic, I see Brooke having a breakout season and finishing nationally ranked."

Rhea Singh is a redshirt senior from Dubai, UAE, majoring in Human Performance.

Quote from Head Coach Chris Tolson: "Rhea has been bitten by the injury bug the past few seasons but has worked hard on her fitness and rehab, combine that with her experience, I see Rhea having her best season yet. Rhea is one of the best ball strikers in the conference."

The LSC Tennis Watch List athletes are submitted by their institution, 17 from the nine men's teams and 21 from the 11 women's teams.

The UTPB men are looking to keep the standards from their 2024 season that finished at the NCAA National Tournament in Orlando, Florida. The Falcons are coming off a season in which they tied for first place in the LSC in the regular season and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. UTPB would also finish the season ranked No. 24 in the nation in the ITA rankings.

The UTPB women are coming off the second-best finish in program history, advancing to the LSC Quarterfinals against No. 6 Midwestern State. It was UTPB's first LSC Championship appearance since 2022.

Dual match play in the Lone Star Conference gets underway the first week of February with LSC teams facing non-conference opponents for the first month. Conference play, which opens in late March, is a single round-robin schedule format through the month of April. The men's and women's team with the best winning percentage over conference match play is the LSC champion.

This year, the season for the UTPB men's team starts in Glendale, Arizona, against Ottawa University Arizona on Friday, January 31, and Arizona Christian University on Saturday, February 1.

The women's season starts on Sunday, February 9, with an exhibition at The University of Texas at El Paso.

The 2025 LSC Men's and Women's Tennis Tournaments will be held concurrently on May 1-2-3 at the Arlington (Texas) Tennis Center. Five men's teams and six women's teams qualify for the conference postseason. Winners of the two tournaments earn the LSC automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Tennis Championships. Regional play in the national tournaments are May 9-10 for the men and May 12-13 for the women. National finals for both men and women are scheduled May 20-25 in Altamonte Springs, Florida.
 
2025 LSC Men's/Women's Tennis Preseason Players to Watch