Juniors Cutura And Agarwal Earn NCAA Singles Bids
May 04, 2016 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – A day removed from earning a bid to its sixth-straight NCAA Team Championship, the 22nd-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team landed a pair of players in the 2016 NCAA Individual Championships, the NCAA announced on Wednesday.
Juniors Mate Cutura and Rishab Agarwal will represent the Bulldogs in the NCAA singles draw after the pair earned a ranking of 35th and 54th in the most recent ITA Singles Rankings.
“We're really proud of Mate and Ri for getting selections in the individuals,” head coach Matt Roberts said. “It's a great honor for them and a testament to how hard they've worked this season on the court.”
Cutura and Agarwal became State's 31st and 32nd players to receive NCAA singles selections, after their at-large bids into the field on Wednesday. The announcement also gives the Bulldogs their sixth-straight NCAA Individual selection in either the singles or doubles field.
Both players earned All-SEC honors this season, as Cutura was named to the First Team and Agarwal to the Second Team. Agarwal has also been successful off the court, as the junior was named the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year and a member of the SEC Community Service Team.
Cutura turned in an impressive season for the Bulldogs at the No. 1 position, as the junior defeated six ranked ITA players on the singles court this spring. The highlight of Cutura's wins this year was his defeat of now second-ranked Roberto Cid of South Florida. The All-SEC First Teamer downed Cid in his third match of the season, after as he outlasted Cid 7-6, 7-6, to win the two-setter. Cutura also turned in impressive wins in conference play as well, after knocking off now No. 15 and No. 19 ranked players Austin Smith and Arthur Rinderknech of Georgia and Texas A&M during the season.
Agarwal, who earned the second most singles wins on the team, finished up his year with a bang. The junior knocked off Co-SEC Freshman of the Year Ryotaro Matsumura of Kentucky to lead MSU past the Wildcats in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals. Agarwal complied 21 total singles wins and 16 dual-match wins for the Bulldogs this year. Also of note was Agarwal's importance to MSU's success this season, the junior won his singles match in 15 of State's 16 wins and lost in seven of MSU's eight losses.
“These two guys are the leaders on the court so it's only fitting that they earn this distinction,” Roberts said. “I am very proud of how both guys have battled all season and the selection proves how much they have developed their games over last year to now. It will be a great honor on a big stage and we are happy to have Mate and Rishab represent MSU.”
The two have been a staple in the ITA Singles rankings as well this season, Cutura has appeared in the rankings 10 weeks while Agarwal has made it in eight weeks. Cutura's first ranked appearance in the spring was on Feb. 10 as Agarwal was not far behind entering on Feb. 23.
The NCAA Singles Championship will begin May 25 in Tulsa, Okla., after the conclusion of the NCAA Team Championship finals played from May 20-24.
The singles bracket will be released at the conclusion of the NCAA Team Championship.
The Maroon and White open play in the NCAA Team Championship next Friday, May 13, as the Bulldogs take on the Memphis Tigers in the first round held in Champaign, Ill.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow “HailStateMT” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
