TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona junior Jay Friend has been named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America® First Team, announced by the organization on Wednesday. He becomes the first men's tennis player in program history to earn the prestigious honor.
Friend is one of just 18 Division I student-athletes named a 2024–25 CSC Academic All-American — one of only seven selected to the First Team, and one of just two athletes from the Big 12 Conference to earn Academic All-America distinction. He is the only Big 12 student-athlete named to the First Team.
An Economics major with a 3.80 GPA, Friend has racked up academic accolades since arriving at Arizona. In addition to this year's First-Team Academic All-America honor, he was named a 2024 CSC Academic All-District selection and earned ITA Scholar-Athlete recognition in 2023.
The 2024–25 campaign has already seen Friend add to his list of honors. He was named the 2025 Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, earned All-Big 12 First Team recognition in both singles and doubles, and was tabbed an ITA All-American. He is currently ranked No. 9 in the ITA singles rankings after reaching a career-best No. 5 earlier in the season, and also finished the year ranked No. 66 in doubles. Overall, Friend posted a 36-6 singles record during the campaign.
"This is a tremendous honor for Jay and our program," said head coach Clancy Shields. "We all know and have seen the amazing player Jay is on the court. It's nice to recognize how special he is off the court as well. I'm very proud of him, his work ethic, commitment to excellence, and dedication to his studies. He is a great ambassador for our team and the University of Arizona. Way to set the bar Jay, you continue to leave a legacy, our first Academic All-American, well done!"
Friend helped lead Arizona to its first Big 12 Championship and a third consecutive trip to the NCAA Sweet 16. He also reached the Round of 16 at the 2024 NCAA Singles Championships, earning qualification for the 2025–26 ATP Next Gen Accelerator program through his postseason performance.
