Stetson men’s tennis standout Loic Blanco has enjoyed a stellar summer competing in his native France.

As the calendar turned to August, the junior-to-be already had captured three tournament titles on the French Open Circuit, including championships at 64 Tennis Tour Open Ville D’Anglet and Tounoi Open de Benessee. The French Open Circuit is a high-level tour and features players who regularly appear on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour.

“Seeing Loic perform at that level is very encouraging for the upcoming season,” Stetson head coach Christophe Noblet said. “He had a great plan in mind on what he wanted to accomplish this summer, and so far has succeeded every step of the way. Loic has high expectations for himself, and he wants to play professional tennis after graduation. But he knows that the road is long and difficult, so he focuses on the goals to accomplish along the way. He had shown steady and tremendous improvements since day one here at Stetson, and I cannot wait to see what his junior year is going to be like.”

Blanco, a first-team All-Atlantic Sun Conference selection last season, has beaten five ranked players this summer, including the No. 71 player in France. Since the end of May, Blanco has played 29 matches and expects to play around 40 before his summer season is complete.

While Noblet is understandably excited about Blanco’s success this summer, he is also looking forward to how his leadership skills will impact the Hatters as they approach the start of a new season. He will be one of the team captains for the upcoming year, along with Graham Ball, a rising senior from Quebec.

“Being a junior and a captain is not an easy task, but Loic has gained the respect of his teammates already,” Noblet commented. “I know he’s also looking forward to that challenge, as he wants to leave his mark on the team. As a coach, you need great captains to rely on, who can help you guide the team in the right direction. With Loic and Graham, I have the two best captains I could have asked for, as they both share my vision for the program and have tremendous work ethic.”

Academic Excellence

In related news, for the eighth consecutive year Stetson men’s tennis has been recognized for academic excellence by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. In addition to receiving the team award, six Hatters earned ITA Scholar-Athlete honors.

The ITA All-Academic Team award is open to any member program that has a cumulative team grade-point average of 3.20 or above (on a 4.00 scale). The 2015-16 Hatters finished the year with a 3.6 GPA. ITA Scholar-Athletes must have at least a 3.50 grade-point average during the 2015-16 academic year and been enrolled at least two semesters at their respective institutions.

“Receiving the ITA All Academic award with almost 90 percent of our roster being honored as ITA Scholar-Athletes is a huge accomplishment, and I am very proud of the team for that,” Noblet said. “I also want to thank our academic staff for all their help. Competing at the highest level while maintaining our academic excellence is the essence of our program, and what distinguishes us from most. We have a bright future ahead.”

Since 1998, a total of 76 Stetson men’s tennis student-athletes have been named as ITA Scholar-Athletes. In addition to Loic and Graham, men’s honorees for 2015-16 include Laurynas Antropikas, Gonzalo Arroyo, Simon Julin and Coilin MacNamara.

– Cris Belvin