2 Lopes selected for ITA Masters

Lorenzo Fucile and Emilia Occhipinti of the GCU men's and women's tennis teams have been selected for the 2019 Oracle ITA Masters.

The competition takes place Sept. 26-29 at the Malibu Racquet Club in Malibu, Calif. The Oracle Masters has been known as one of the top-tier events for collegiate tennis with player selections based upon conference representation.

"I am very happy for Lorenzo and Emilia, as well as for both of our teams for this accomplishment," Lopes head coach Greg Pruhomme said. "I knew that when Lorenzo was invited last year for the first time that it was a significant sign of the rising level of our program, which was proved correct when we won the WAC regular season, the WAC Tournament championship and qualified for the NCAAs."

This is the second time that Fucile has been selected to participate in the exclusive event. In 2018, Fucile played in the first round of the tournament. He was named the 2018 WAC Player of the Year with a 16-9 overall record and a 4-1 conference record from the No. 1 singles position.

"For Lorenzo to be selected again and recognized for being the top in the conference shows that we are continuing to progress forward," Prudhomme said.

The selection marks a first for Occhipinti, who went 11-8 overall and 2-3 in conference play at the top singles position during the 2018 season en route to an All-WAC second-team accolade for singles.

"Now, Emilia received that honor, which will have the same positive influence on the entire women's team," Prudhomme said. "We're looking forward to Lorenzo and Emilia representing GCU and the WAC in Malibu in September."

Grand Canyon University Athletics

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