NASSAU, BAHAMAS- For a second straight year, Bahamian collegiate tennis player Joshua Turnquest has been named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American.
The Asbury University Eagles player was ranked at number 20 in singles action nationally this past shortened season. He finished the season ranked at number four in the NAIA East Region.
In order to be named an ITA All-American, student-athletes had to finish in the top 20 of the final Oracle/ITA national rankings for singles action.
The Eagles play out of Wilmore, Kentucky, in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) River States Conference (RSC). They finished with a 3-2 win-loss record.
Last year, Turnquest was ranked at number 19 nationally.
Turnquest and his Eagles started off the school year playing in the ITA Regionals last September. In that tournament, Turnquest was the number one seed but he fell to Valentin Popescu 7-6 and 7-5 in the quarterfinal round.
Regular season play for the Eagles began on February 29, but had to be cut short on March 10, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their duel on March 13 against Georgia Gwinnett College was canceled.
In their first game of the regular season, Turnquest and the Eagles blanked Thomas More University 7-0. Turnquest won his singles match 5-7, 7-6 and 1-0 (7). He and his doubles partner Felipe Penuela took down Dail and Jared Haght in a 7-6 (5) tiebreaker.
Turnquest only lost one match in regular season play. That loss came at the hands of Olivet Nazarene University’s Francisco Faria. The Bahamian lost in straight sets, 6-4 and 6-2. Turnquest made up for that loss with a doubles victory. He and Penuela took down Faria and Alex Verdu 6-3.
Despite Turnquest’s loss, the Eagles won the duel 4-3.
The Eagles’ two losses came against Grace College and their final season duel against Southwestern College. The Eagles fell 4-3 against both schools.
Overall, Turnquest had a 6-2 win-loss season and went 3-1 in both singles and doubles play.
Before earning his second ITA All-American honor, he was a three-time NAIA All-American and RSC Tennis Player of the Year. Last year, he was awarded the RSC Male Athlete of the Year award.
The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA), the local governing body for tennis, congratulated Turnquest for his stellar college tennis season.
Turnquest will return for another season, where he is the number one flight singles and doubles player on the Eagles team.
Other Bahamian collegiate tennis players include Abigail Simms (Indiana Tech), Afrika Smith (Bethune-Cookman University), Iesha Shepherd (Jackson State University) and Lauryn Daxon (Missouri Valley College). Joining them in the collegiate tennis scene this fall are top junior players Sydney Clarke (University of Alabama at Birmingham) and Donte Armbrister (Hampton University).
