PROVIDENCE – North Smithfield native Alex Bourque was named the 2021 recipient of the United States Tennis Association’s Andy Chase Award, signifying him as the Rhode Island Male Collegiate Player of the Year.
The honor for the Rhode Island College senior was recently recognized at a special ceremony held in the Governor’s Lounge in the Rhode Island State House.
Bourque, the first RIC student-athlete to receive the award, graduated in 2017, serving as a team captain in both tennis and cross country during his time at North Smithfield High School.
The recognition is just the latest for a top-level student athlete, whose success on the courts saw him named Second Team All-Little East in doubles in his freshman year at RIC, 8-8 (.500) at No. 3 singles and 11-7 (.611) at No. 1 doubles for 13.5 points on the season. He was named the Little East Rookie of the Week once during his first college season, according to his student athlete bio with the school.
Bourque, a 22-year-old medical imaging major, was named the team’s MVP in his junior year, and went 5-2 at both No. 1 singles and doubles for the season. The team finished the year with a 6-1 overall record and a 6-0, first place mark in the Little East, putting them just one win shy of the 2021 NCAA Div. III Men’s Tennis Championships. The Anchormen lost 5-4 to Western Connecticut in the finals of the Little East Tournament.
The award, named after Cumberland native Andy Chase, is given out annually to the top male college player from Rhode Island.
