BYU's Barnett and Thayne head to national championship

TULSA, Okla. – BYU’s Jack Barnett and Wally Thayne are in Tulsa, Okla. this weekend for the ITA Men’s All-American Championships. The nine-day tournament will crown a fall singles and doubles collegiate national champion.

The tournament runs from Oct. 1-9. Both Cougars will compete in singles, beginning with the prequalifying round, before teaming up for the qualifying doubles round.

Schedule and Results

Singles play begins Saturday, Oct. 1, while doubles get underway Monday, Oct. 3. The tournament has various levels of qualifying and main draw play. Barnett and Thayne will be competing in single elimination brackets with hopes of earning spots in the singles and doubles main draws, which start on Wednesday, Oct. 5 and will finish with the crowing of national champions.

There will be two sessions each day for both singles and doubles. Consolation matches will be held if the Cougars are eliminated before the main draw.

Saturday, Oct. 1 Schedule

• 12:00 p.m. CDT: Jack Barnett (BYU) versus Fons Van Sambeek (North Carolina State)
• 1:15 p.m.: Wally Thayne (BYU) versus Pau Fanlo (Memphis)

Both of BYU's matches will be at the Case Tennis Center at LaFortune Park. The team’s social media accounts will share results and further draws after each match. The ITA website will have full-tournament updates.

The Cougars

Barnett and Thayne went 3-1 together in doubles last season. Barnett has a 30-16 career doubles record, while Thayne was 15-12 last season in his first year at BYU.

Jack Barnett

The junior from Noosa, Australia is in his fourth year at BYU, where he has a 25-19 singles record. Saturday will be his first singles match since March 4, 2022, after being sidelined with an injury. Prior to being ruled out for the season, Barnett was the team’s No. 1 singles player in every match he appeared in.

Wally Thayne

Also a junior, the Newbury Park, Calif. native finished last year at No. 1 singles. His 27 singles starts in 2021-22 was the team’s highest. Thayne was named a 2022 All-WCC Singles Honorable Mention.

The Competition

Over 400 players are competing in singles, with entrants determined by preseason rankings and UTR Ratings. The same metrics were used to select the 88 doubles teams. High-seeded players will enter the tournament at later points.

The All-American Championships is one of four national championship events, with one played each quarter. The tournament is also the largest of the four competitions.

Matches will be played at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center, which is on the campus of the University of Tulsa, the tournament’s host. The nearby Case Tennis Center at LaFortune Park will also feature matches.