Southwestern University 2020 Annual Report

20 A Leader on and off the Court Student–athlete Alexis Dimanche ’20 capped off a successful senior season with two prestigious honors. In May, Dimanche received the 2020 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. The award, which dates back to 1982, is presented to student–athletes who have exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership, as well as scholastic, extracurricular, and tennis achievements, in ways that embody the legacy of tennis icon and humanitarian Arthur Ashe Jr. Less than two months later, Dimanche was named Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Man of the Year. The award recognizes senior student–athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service, and leadership. Dimanche is the first Southwestern student–athlete to earn SCAC Man of the Year honors. On the hard court, despite a shortened season, Dimanche finished his 2020 campaign with a 5–1 singles record playing exclusively from the No. 1 position and landed at No. 27 in the final ITA men’s tennis singles rankings and No. 7 on the ITA West Region charts. His leadership as a captain helped guide the Pirates to their highest national ranking in program history, finishing the season at No. 23 in the final ITA team poll. Off the court, Dimanche held serve in the classroom as well, earning his bachelor’s degree in physics with an overall grade point average of 3.94. A four-time SCAC Academic Honor Roll honoree, he earned the SCAC Men’s Tennis Elite 19 award two years in a row. The French native made the dean’s list all eight of his semesters, received three King Creativity Grants, was a member of the SU Physics Club, and earned two National Science Foundation stipends to conduct summer research at major universities. In fall 2020, Dimanche entered the biomedical engineering doctoral program at the University of Texas at Austin.