LUBBOCK, Texas (May 18, 2026) - Lubbock Christian University tennis added two more honors to its growing list of national honorees, as Director of Tennis and Head Coach Hutton Jones was named the ITA/ Dunlop Division II South Central Region Men's Coach of the Year and Lady Chaparral standout AnaMaria Zoric earned ITA Division II South Central Region Women's Player to Watch honors, as announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association in its annual regional awards release.
 
The awards continue a historic stretch for the LCU tennis programs, marking the fourth consecutive season the Chaparrals or Lady Chaparrals have received at least one ITA regional honor. LCU has now accumulated 10 ITA South Central Regional Awards since 2023, including multiple honors in three consecutive seasons.
 
Jones, who earlier this season claimed his seventh LSC Coach of the Year award of his career (first at LCU), claims his first ITA regional honor at LCU after guiding the Chaparrals through one of the most successful seasons in program history. The Chaparrals claimed the program's first Lone Star Conference regular-season championship, captured a second consecutive Lone Star Conference Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Division II Men's Tennis Championships final site for the second straight season.
 
In his first full season leading the Chaparrals, Jones directed LCU to a 22-5 record entering NCAA Championship competition this week in Surprise, Ariz., where the Chaparrals enter as the No. 3 seed and ranked No. 12 nationally by the ITA.
 
The postseason run builds upon last year's 25-3 campaign, which established a single-season program record for victories and ended with the program's first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II semifinals. Under Jones' leadership, the Chaparrals posted a 12-3 record against nationally ranked opponents this season and carry a 12-match winning streak into the national championship tournament.
 
The regional championship victory over Midwestern State last week also marked only the second NCAA Division II South Central Regional victory in program history while securing the program's second consecutive appearance at the NCAA final site.
 
Zoric, a sophomore from Dubrovnik, Croatia, claimed the ITA South Central Region Women's Player to Watch award following a standout campaign that placed her among the nation's top doubles and singles competitors.
 
Partnering with Andrea De Bernardo, Zoric helped form one of NCAA Division II's premier doubles pairings, as the duo closed the regular season ranked No. 2 nationally by the ITA. The tandem earned Lone Star Conference Doubles Team of the Year honors after compiling a 19-3 overall record, including an 18-2 mark in dual matches and an 8-1 record against nationally ranked opponents. Zoric completed the season with a 22-5 overall doubles record.
 
In singles competition, Zoric closed the regular season ranked No. 43 nationally by the ITA while tying for the team lead with 22 victories. She finished 22-10 overall in singles play, including a 15-5 dual-match record and a 1-1 mark against nationally ranked opponents.
 
The honor adds to an already decorated collegiate résumé for Zoric. This season, she earned All-Lone Star Conference recognition in both singles and doubles, including First Team honors in doubles and Second Team recognition in singles. She was also part of the conference's Doubles Team of the Year pairing alongside De Bernardo after earning All-LSC honorable mention singles honors as a freshman in 2024-25. Academically, Zoric was named an ITA Division II Scholar Athlete last season.
 
The latest accolades continue LCU's emergence as one of the South Central Region's premier tennis programs. Last season, the Chaparrals claimed three ITA regional honors, with Ben Grumley earning Assistant Coach of the Year, Kelly Giese receiving Most Improved Player recognition and Pablo Segura being named Player to Watch. In 2023, the entire coaching staff was individually recognized and Giese earned Rookie of the Year recognition. The Lady Chaparrals also received ITA Community Service Awards in both 2023 and 2024.
 
The Chaparrals will open NCAA Division II Men's Tennis Championships play Wednesday at 2 p.m. (CT) against No. 14-seed Harding at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex in Surprise, Ariz.
 
2026
Men
Hutton Jones (Coach of the Year)
 
Women
AnaMaria Zoric (Player to Watch)
 
2025
Men
Ben Grumley (Assistant Coach of the Year)
Kelly Giese (Most Improved Player)
Pablo Segura (Player to Watch)
 
2024
Women
Team (Community Serve Award)
 
2023
Men
Jason Speegle (Coach of the Year)
Marcelo Mann (Assistant Coach of the Year)
Kelly Giese (Rookie of the Year)
 
Women
Team (Community Serve Award)