FORT WORTH – Three Horned Frogs combined to receive four national and regional accolades as announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) on Tuesday.
Jake Fearnley and
Luc Fomba attained ITA All-American status for the second consecutive season while freshman
Jack Pinnington was crowned ITA Texas Regional Rookie of the Year.
Fearnley received All-American citations in both singles and doubles.
Fomba, one-half of the nation's No. 4 doubles tandem alongside Fearnley, snared his third straight doubles All-American honor and swelled his career All-American tally to five.
Pinnington is the first Horned Frog to garner ITA Texas Regional Rookie of the Year recognition since three-time All-American and current ATP No. 14 Cam Norrie in 2015. He is now eligible for ITA National Rookie of the Year, which will be announced on June 12.
A fourth-year junior, Fearnley concluded the season with the No. 19 ITA singles ranking to achieve his first-ever singles All-American selection. Players who finish in the top-20 of the final ITA singles rankings automatically earn the status. Fearnley enjoyed a breakout 2022-2023 singles campaign. He anchored the No. 1 singles position for TCU all spring after primarily playing on court four throughout his first three years in Fort Worth. Fearnley produced a 43-14 combined overall record, highlighted by a 26-10 mark in singles, to lead the Horned Frogs in wins both cumulatively and in singles play. Of his singles victories, 16 came against ranked opposition. Fearnley first tantalized his All-American potential in the fall, capturing the Battle in the Bay Classic singles championship on his way to an 11-2 seasonal record and a career-high ITA singles ranking of No. 8. He went on to obtain All-Big 12 first team honors in both singles and doubles behind a 28-10 combined record in duals. Fearnley capped the year by advancing to the round of 32 in the NCAA Singles Championships in May following TCU's run to the Final Four.
Fomba became the most decorated All-American and winningest player in TCU's Big 12 era in his final season in purple and white. His five sets of All-American credentials rank third outright in program history and trail only the six selections received by Paul Robinson (1994-1996) and David Pate (1991-1983). He joined Robinson and Pate as one of only three Horned Frogs to be tabbed an ITA doubles All-American three times. The Paris native closed the books on his amateur career with a 194-80 combined overall record. Fomba's combined career wins and .741 career singles winning percentage (105-36) both rank ninth in program history and are the best marks of any Big 12 era player.
Fomba and Fearnley repeated as doubles All-Americans after receiving seeded positioning in the NCAA Doubles Championships. The duo produced a 15-4 record as partners. They began the season as the preseason No. 1 doubles pair and ended the dual season with the No. 2 doubles ranking. In indoor play, Fomba and Fearnley clinched the doubles point seven times total and in five of the Horned Frogs' seven ranked wins to lead TCU to its second straight ITA Indoor National Championship.
Pinnington overcame adversity and immeasurable uncertainty on his way to Regional Rookie of the Year recognition. An ATP top-500 player, Pinnington was forced to sit out the entirety of the fall and first month of the indoor season after being denied immediate eligibility by the NCAA. He made his long-awaited TCU debut on Feb. 8 and promptly became a fixture in the top of TCU's lineup. Pinnington, from Ashtead, England, accumulated a 17-7 dual record (9-3 doubles, 8-4 singles) as TCU's primary No. 3 singles and doubles player. He notched six singles victories over ranked opponents and went on to attain All-Big 12 second team accolades. Pinnington's proficiency in doubles was on full display during Indoor Nationals, as he accumulated a 3-1 record and clinched two doubles points.
The Horned Frogs concluded the 2023 season with the No. 4 overall team ranking. TCU has finished in the top-10 of the final ITA team rankings for nine consecutive seasons, a streak unmatched by any Division I program.
