Ortiz, Pou Named SEC Scholar-Athletes of the Year

The Crimson Tide tennis players were both named recipients on Monday morning

Alabama Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Seniors Edson Ortiz and Alba Cortina Pou of the Alabama men’s and women’s tennis teams were named SEC Scholar-Athletes of the Year on Monday morning.

Pou is the first player on the women's team to win since 2017, while Ortiz is the first on his team since 2014.

Along with performing on the court, Pou was able to maintain a perfect 4.0 GPA while Ortiz was able to maintain a 3.75. Pou is a double major in finance and marketing while Ortiz majors in Human Performance Exercise Science.

Alabama Athletics

Women’s tennis coach Jenny Mainz expressed her pride in Pou in a statement released by Alabama Athletics.

“I’m proud of Alba for being recognized with the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award,” Mainz said. “This is a distinguished honor and difficult to earn in our league as there are many standout student-athletes. Alba works incredibly hard in the classroom, on the tennis court, in the weight room; she’s the consummate student-athlete. Alba has been a notable ambassador for The University of Alabama and the Southeastern Conference.”

In the 2019-2020 season, Pou maintained an impressive 17-6 record in singles as well as 14-5 in doubles. After starting 11-0 in dual match play, Pou was also the first student-athlete in SEC history to win Southeastern Conference Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks.

Ortiz finished the 2019-2020 season as the No. 74 men’s singles player in the country and No. 1 for the Crimson Tide. Ortiz was a perfect 4-0 in SEC play and also compiled four wins over nationally-ranked opponents.

In addition to the award from the SEC, Ortiz was also named the recipient of the Most Improved Senior awards from the ITA Southern Regional Awards on Monday.

Due to the new NCAA rules that grant 2020 spring student-athletes an additional year of eligibility, both Pou and Ortiz will be returning in 2021.