Three named Academic All-OAC in Men's Tennis for 2018-19 season

May 21, 2019

By Blake Moore

ADA — Three Ohio Northern student-athletes have been named Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference for their academic excellence during the 2018-19 men's tennis campaign, the league office announced Tuesday morning.

Sophomores Vinh Thai (Galloway/St. Charles), Joji Imatomi (Yokohama, Japan/Kamakura Gakuen), and Joshua McClure (Mount Vernon) were each honored for the first time in their respective careers.

To receive Academic All-OAC honors, student-athletes must be a sophomore-or-higher in academic standing, maintain varsity-level status during the season, and own a minimum 3.50 cumulative grade-point average.

The OAC office recognized 417 student-athletes from the league's 10 member institutions in 10 sports this spring for their commitment to academic excellence. In all, Ohio Northern had 57 student-athletes honored with the award.

Thai, a second-year pharmacy student, was named the 2019 OAC Player of the Year and a First-Team All-OAC honoree last week following a standout sophomore season.

During the campaign, Thai compiled a 31-14 overall record at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles for the Polar Bears.

The sophomore tied for second on the team with 17 singles victories, which included an undefeated 5-0 mark in conference play. He added a 14-10 record in the top doubles pairing with a 3-3 mark against OAC foes.

Through two seasons, Thai owns a 60-34 overall record that includes going 30-14 in singles action and 30-20 in doubles play at Ohio Northern.

Imatomi, a sophomore business major, compiled an undefeated 9-0 record during the 2018-19 campaign prior to earning his first Academic All-OAC honor.

The Yokohama, Japan product went 3-0 in doubles action and posted a 6-0 mark in singles play, primarily at the No. 5 slot. In addition, he boasted a perfect 3-0 mark in OAC action this season.

Imatomi currently owns an 11-0 combined record through two seasons, including an 8-0 mark in singles action and a 3-0 record in doubles play.

McClure, a sophomore studying environmental and field biology, finished the 2018-19 campaign with a spotless 3-0 record in singles action. He played exclusively at the No. 6 slot this season and recorded a 2-0 mark against conference opponents.

Through his first two seasons, McClure has built an undefeated 5-0 record on the No. 6 singles court, including a 3-0 mark against the league.

Ohio Northern compiled a 14-9 overall record and a 5-2 conference mark to finish third in the league standings during the 2018-19 campaign. In the OAC Tournament, the Polar Bears rolled past sixth-seeded Marietta and second-seeded Otterbein to reach the title match before narrowly falling to John Carroll 5-4.