June 7, 2012
ATLANTA – For the second year in a row, Georgia Tech’s Kevin King and Juan Spir have been named All-Americans in doubles by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The Yellow Jackets’ record-setting doubles team earned the honor by finishing the year ranked No. 4 in the ITA rankings.
Complete ITA Men’s and Women’s All-America Teams
King, a senior from Peachtree City, Ga., and Spir, a junior from Medellin, Colombia, have played together as Tech’s top doubles team the past two and a half years, compiling a 71-26 record together and earning All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors twice. Individually, King set a Tech record by being involved in 87 doubles victories, and Spir has 75 (fifth on the Tech list) with one year left to play.
“I’ve said it before, but I believe Kevin and Juan are the best doubles team ever to come through Georgia Tech,” said Tech coach Kenny Thorne, who had 75 doubles wins himself when he played for the Yellow Jackets in the late 1980s. “It’s quite an accomplishment to be named All-Americans two years in a row. They had an incredible year. They complement each other so well, big-serving lefty and a big-serving righty. It was a pleasure to coach them and watch them play.”
King and Spir went 22-5 in 2011-12, including a 16-2 mark in dual matches this spring and an 8-1 record against ACC foes. They were ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation, and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Doubles Championship for the second straight year, where they lost in the second round to Mississippi’s Chris and Marcel Thiemann.
The duo defeated Maryland’s John Collins and Maros Horny (No. 9) and Auburn’s Andres Mies and Alex Stamchev (No. 26) to advance to the finals of the ITA All-American Main Draw in the fall before falling to Ohio State’s Chase Buchanan and Blaz Rola (No. 3). They also reached the round of 16 in the ITA National Indoor Championships before falling to Florida’s Billy Federhofer and Nassim Slilam (No. 36).
