SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Illinois State's Christian Capacci, Caden Scarlett and Tomas Valencia were each named to the 2026 Men's All-Summit League Team on Thursday, as announced by the league office. The Redbird trio were among 18 men's tennis standouts named to the annual squad announced prior to the Summit League Championship this weekend.
Capacci, a sophomore from Forlimpopoli, Italy, went 4-1 at the No. 3 singles spot for the Redbirds during Summit League play, helping ISU secure a spot in the Summit League Championship. Capacci picked up wins over Drake, ORU, Omaha and North Dakota to move his season singles record to 19-9 overall. He also played at No. 3 doubles for the Redbirds with partner Manuel Pavia during conference play.
Scarlett, a senior from Evansville, Indiana, also went 4-1 during league play playing at the No. 6 spot for the Redbirds. He earned wins over Drake, Omaha and North Dakota and secured the lone point for the Redbirds against Denver in their regular season matchup. Overall, Scarlett was 16-9 in singles action and 14-9 in doubles play, including a 3-2 mark in league play at the No. 2 spot with partner Tin Ostro.
Valencia, a senior from Santiago, Chile, earned his second All-Summit honor after a 2025 selection. Playing at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles for the Redbirds, Valencia went 2-3 in singles with wins over Drake and Omaha and posted a 15-9 overall singles record. In doubles action, he went 13-9 including a 3-2 mark in Summit League play with partner Adrian Dibildox at the top of the lineup.
Illinois State earned a spot in the 2026 Summit League Men's Tennis Championship, which takes place at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center from April 24-25, hosted by the University of Tulsa. The No. 4 seeded Redbirds (9-13, 2-3 SL) will take on the top-seeded Denver Pioneers (16-5, 5-0 SL) in Friday's first men's semifinal at 3 p.m. CT.
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