June 10, 2016
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — For their dominate doubles play throughout the 2016 season, senior Rhys Johnson and freshman Cameron Klinger were awarded All-American status by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
“We’re so proud of Rhys and Cam,” head coach Ian Duvenhage said. “They earned their All-American status by virtue of the way they played all year long… They beat a lot of teams in the top-10. We’re sorry to see Rhys go, but we’re looking forward to building with Cam in the future.”
The duo amassed an impressive 18-8 record while playing in the No. 1 position of the VU tandems lineup, and clinched a team-high nine doubles points. Defeating six ranked doubles teams, Johnson/Klinger rose as high as No. 7 in the nation and garnered a 5-8 seed in the NCAA tournament doubles draw. Capping the season at No. 15 in the nation, 2016 is the third season in a row that the Commodores conclude the year with a doubles team in the Top-15.
“We had some options that we were thinking about, Rhys’ previous partner graduated, and Cam was definitely one of the options that we thought could work out. It pretty much gelled form the get-go, they played well right off the bat. I think that had a lot to do with the fact that Cam wasn’t intimidated by the prospect of playing No. 1 doubles, he relished the opportunity and took advantage of it.”
With the All-American honor, Johnson is now a two-time All-American, and Klinger, the first freshman men’s tennis player to earn All-American prestige. Johnson/Klinger are the sixth and seventh men to earn All-American Status at Vanderbilt, joining Chris Groer (1x), Bobby Reynolds (2x), Chad Harris (2x), Ryan Lipman (3x) and AJ Austin (4x).Rhys Johnson
Johnson, who recently graduated with a degree in economics, capped his career with a 79-57 doubles record. The Perth, Australia native has been ranked in the top-10 with two separate partners, and sat atop the rankings with Austin as the No. 1 team in the country for over a month.
Honors:
– 2016 ITA First Team All-American (Doubles)
– Vanderbilt H. Boyd McWhorter Award Nominee
– 2015 ITA First Team All-American (Doubles)
– 2015 Spring SEC Academic Honor Roll
– 2014 Spring SEC Academic Honor Roll
– 2013 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
Klinger made an immediate impact in the Vandy singles and doubles lineups in his debut season with the `Dores. A native of San Jose, Calif., Klinger earned additional honors from the SEC earning spots on the Second Team All-SEC and All-Freshman Team. Klinger concluded his freshman year with a 21-9 doubles record, and a 19-9 overall singles slate while playing predominantly at No. 3.
