ITA honors Hogs, Vrba with Central Region recognitions

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association has honored the Arkansas Men’s Tennis program and sophomore Jakub Vrba with Regional Awards.

Vrba claimed a pair of ITA Central Region awards, being named the ITA Player to Watch and earning the Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award. He was named an ITA All-American after finishing the season ranked No. 20 in the final singles rankings, making him the first Razorback from the men’s program to earn All-America honors in singles play and finish the season ranked in the Top 20 since Jesus Salazar in 2018. The Prague, Czech Republic native wrapped up his sophomore campaign with a 25-10 record in singles play and earned First-Team All-SEC recognition to become the first Razorback since 2022 to earn first-team honors.

The team was named the ITA Community Service Award winner for the Central Region. Connor Smillie led the Razorbacks as the team’s representative on the SEC Community Service Team this summer. Smillie has been a dedicated member of the Arkansas student-athlete community and has committed numerous hours to serving the Northwest Arkansas area. He participated in Shop with the Razorbacks, helping more than 30 local families provide gifts during the holiday season. He has consistently given back to youth in the community, with the majority of his service hours spent working with Fayetteville Public Schools.