--> University of Minnesota men's tennis player Avery Ticer has been named the 2003 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Summer Circuit Player of the Year. A native of Amarillo, Texas, Ticer will be a junior for the Golden Gophers this upcoming season. Vanderbilt's Amanda Fish earned the award on the women's side.

Ticer reached two finals, winning one title on the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit and also reached the quarterfinals at this month's ITA National Summer Championships to make him the point leader on the ITA's Midwest Circuit.

This past season at Minnesota, Ticer compiled a 21-12 singles record, including an 8-1 mark in the Big Ten, as the Golden Gophers finished the season ranked a school record 10th in the nation. Ticer finished the season with 12 wins in his final 13 matches. He earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for the first time last year and was named a U of M Scholar-Athlete.