Wallace State's Gautier earns ITA Junior College All-American honors after national championship season
Wallace State sophomore Angel Gautier added another honor to his championship résumé when he was named to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Junior College All-America Team following the release of the final national rankings on May 28.
Gautier finished the season ranked No. 7 in the final ITA Junior College National Singles Rankings after helping lead Wallace State to the NJCAA Division II National Championship, the program's first national title since 2004.
The sophomore was the only NJCAA Division II player named an ITA All-American in singles.
Gautier capped his season by winning the Flight 1 singles championship at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Plano, Texas. He rallied from a first-set loss in the championship match to defeat top-seeded Juan Pereyra and claim the national title.
The ITA awards All-America singles honors to players who finish in the top 10 of the final ITA National Singles Rankings. Doubles teams earn All-America recognition by finishing in the top five of the final ITA National Doubles Rankings.
In the final singles rankings, Gautier checked in at No. 7 nationally. The top 10 included Daniel Marincas of Tyler Junior College, Gaspard Bicrel Bantegny of Seward County, Daniil Blinov of Pratt, Fernando Martinez Belinchon of Eastern Florida State, Willem De Waai of Tyler Junior College, Haruki Okude of Cowley and Gautier at No. 7.
Wallace State also placed three additional players in the final national singles rankings. Francois Van Wyk finished No. 22, Jean Badenhorst was ranked No. 21, and Alexander Grube Andersen ended the season at No. 34.
The Lions also had a doubles team earn national recognition. Gautier and Grube Andersen finished No. 8 in the final ITA National Doubles Rankings, narrowly missing All-America status, which is reserved for the top five teams nationally.
Gautier's All-America honor adds to a long list of accolades from the 2026 season. In addition to leading Wallace State to an undefeated junior college season and a national championship, he won the NJCAA Division II Flight 1 singles championship, earned First Team All-America honors at the national tournament, received the ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award and was named the ITA Region IV Most Improved Sophomore.
The Lions finished the season as NJCAA Division II National Champions with 45 points, three points ahead of runner-up Coastal Alabama-South. The national title was Wallace State's first since 1996 & 1997 and capped an undefeated season against junior college competition.