John Lamble Named Senior Player of the Year for Northwest Region by ITA

John Lamble Named Senior Player of the Year for Northwest Region by ITA
 SANTA CLARA, Calif.John Lamble was named the Senior Player of the Year for the Northwest Region by the ITA, earning recognition for his exceptional accomplishments and leadership on and off the court throughout his career. The award is another terrific honor for the decorated Bronco senior, who has had one of most illustrious careers in program history.

"John has displayed an unbelievable work ethic and high level of sportsmanship for four years," said Bronco head coach Derek Mills. "He has lead by example every single year because of his strong work ethic and a desire to push himself to get the most out of his ability. He is recognized by his teammates and coaches as being a student athlete that will give everything to see the team succeed."

Mills continued, "Over the past four years, he has never taken a practice off and has demanded excellence from himself every day. His teammates fed off of his determination to be great and he sets a great example to the whole team that hard work will pay off if you never give up."

"John not only has held his tennis to a high standard but his sportsmanship was always at a level that was hard to beat.  John is a fierce competitor but always handled himself with class and dignity no matter if he won or lost. He seemed to really flourish the tougher the match got.  We have a high standard for sportsmanship at Santa Clara and I am very proud of the way we have exemplified that over the past years."

Lamble had a dominating season playing at No. 1 in both singles and doubles as the leader of the No. 59 Santa Clara team. The senior's exceptional campaign helped lead the Broncos to a 17-7 record and strong national ranking throughout the season. He has been one of the best and most consistent players in the Northwest over the past two seasons. The righty has also showed tremendous leadership and sportsmanship throughout his collegiate career.

Lamble went 21-5 overall and 15-2 in dual matches this season, playing exclusively at No. 1 singles. He was named All-WCC First Team for his terrific performance and leadership of the Bronco squad. The Saratoga, Calif. native entered the season ranked No. 5 in the Northwest region.

Lamble had many key wins over the season, one of which was clinching the 4-2 victory over Oregon to finalize the Bronco upset. He beat Kevin Farin, the 12th-ranked player in the Northwest, in a 6-1, 2-6, 6-1 final. It was the Broncos' top win of the season and one of the best in program history.

Against Pacific on Senior Day, Lamble earned the clinching victory 6-2, 6-4 over Sem Verbeek, ranked third in the Northwest rankings, for his 80th career singles win. He also took down Bernado Saraiva, the region's eighth ranked player, in three sets 3-6, 6-4, (10-8) to help extend Santa Clara's eight match winning streak early in the year, which was the team's best start in decades.

As a junior in 2013, Lamble finished the season ranked No. 89 nationally by the ITA. He was named First-Team All-WCC and received WCC Player of the Month honors for March. Lamble was second on the team in wins, amassing a 20-14 overall record and 15-9 mark in duals. He also opened the season ranked No. 65 nationally, the highest preseason ranking in program history. Lamble's significant contributions led Santa Clara to a 17-win season and highest national ranking of No. 35.

In his sophomore season, Lamble earned Second Team All-WCC Singles and Second Team All-WCC Doubles honors in helping the Broncos to their finest season ever. Santa Clara made its first NCAA appearance and upset No. 19 Texas in a stunning victory, finished at No. 33 in the rankings, and earned numerous awards. Lamble also earned the Broncos' highest national ranking to finish a season at No. 77.

During the special 2012 season, Lamble led Santa Clara in wins with 25 while amassing a 25-7 record at No. 2 singles. He picked up an impressive win against No. 91 Patrick Pohlman of No. 19 San Diego. He also defeated two ranked opponents during the NCAA Tournament, defeating No. 102 Daniel Whitehead of No. 19 Texas and No. 29 Ryan Thacher of No. 11 Stanford.

Lamble made immediate contributions as a freshman in the middle of the lineup, garnering All-WCC Honorable Mention honors. He finished at 15-10 overall, primarily in the No. 3 and No. 4 positions.

For his career, Lamble has an outstanding 81-36 record. He rose to No. 2 on the Bronco all-time wins rankings, and will go down as one of the most prolific players the program has ever had.

In doubles, Lamble has improved tremendously and has earned numerous accolades while playing the majority of his matches at No. 1 doubles. The Broncos have followed Lamble's consistent dominance at the top of the lineup to numerous doubles point wins over the last three seasons.

In 2014, Lamble and partner Ilya Osintsev went 17-3 in dual matches and 20-5 including the fall. They received All-WCC First Team honors for their terrific season, All-WCC Doubles Team of the Week, and they were named the No. 1 doubles team for the All-WCC Tournament Team. It was one of the best doubles seasons the Broncos have ever had from both an individual duo and team doubles perspective.

Lamble and Osintsev's biggest win came in Santa Clara's upset of Oregon, as the Bronco duo defeated the team of Kevin Farin and Robin Cambrier in dominating fashion, 8-2. Farin and Cambrier were the Northwest Region's fifth-ranked doubles team heading into the season, but the ninth-ranked Broncos won in decisive fashion.

The Bronco team also picked up two strong wins over USF's No. 1 pair of Bernardo Saraiva and Nils Skajaa, ranked third in the Northwest Region rankings. Santa Clara prevailed 8-3 and 8-4, and also won both matchups last season as well. Additionally, Lamble and Osintsev crushed No. 72 St. John's top doubles of Lucas Hehjal and Vaidik Munshaw, ranked No. 76 nationally, in an 8-1 final.

Last season, the Bronco tandem went 10-6 and was named All-WCC Honorable Mention. Lamble and Osintsev finished out the season on a five match winning streak, including the two wins over USF.

In Lamble's sophomore year, the duo earned WCC Doubles Team of the Month honors during March for their stellar play, including a victory over the nation's then-No. 2 doubles team from Pepperdine. They finished the season at No. 68 and picked up two NCAA Tournament wins, defeating the nation's No. 39 ranked team of Chris Camillone and David Holiner of then-No. 19 Texas and an 8-6 victory over Denis Lin and Ryan Thacher of then-No. 11 Stanford. They finished ranked No. 8 regionally. 

As a freshman, Lamble finished the season 10-12 with three different teammates, primarily in the No. 3 position.

For his career, Lamble went 52-34 in doubles. Lamble and Osintsev went an outstanding 42-22 together, which is the second-most wins by one team in program history. Lamble will go down as one of the most successful all-around players ever for the Broncos.

Check out the full ITA awards.