Junior men's stennis standout Moses Hutchison has been named as the 2019-20 Spring Male Athlete of the Year at the University of Mary Washington.
Hutchison started year strong at 4-2 in singles, playing at number one, with one loss to a Division II school. He had wins over the #6 and #33 ranked players in the nation and another ranked top 10 in the Atlantic South region. He was in great position to make NCAA singles championship at the end of the regular season.
Hutchison's biggest highlight came in a match against nationally ranked Kenyon College. Hutchison dropped the first set, but stormed back to gain a wildly impressive comeback win over the sixth-ranked player in the nation, Jake Zalenski, 3-6, 7-6, 10-4, to tally the lone singles point for the Eagles in the dual match. For his efforts, he was named the March 10 UTR/ITA National Division III Player of the Week.
In doubles play this season, Hutchison was a perfect 6-0 with Michael Fleming, including four wins over #1 doubles teams from nationally ranked programs, including the #20 team in nation.
"Moses has been a very dedicated player from the day he arrived on campus", said head coach Todd Helbling. "His growth and improvement have been incredible. He is a total team player and has been a tremendous teammate and leader. Having this spring cut short was very sad for him from an individual perspective, as he was on pace to continue his improvement and make a strong case for making the NCAAs in singles and doubles and having a shot to be All American in both. Hopefully he will get that opportunity next year."
This year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, UMW Male and Female Athlete of the Year awards will be divided into each of the three sports seasons (fall, winter, and spring). The Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards will be released as usual following the posting of final grades in May.