Ryo Minakata is an impressive young tennis athlete from Hyogo, Japan. Before his college career kicked off, he was already having an exceptional tennis career as he claimed both the 2017 and 2018 Big Island (Hawaii) Interscholastic Federation Individual Championship in singles and won doubles titles at the 2016 and 2017 ITA Grade 5 Noumea New Caledonia Tournament.
Before his transfer to Boise State University, he spent his first two years of college attending Tyler Junior College, which is an NJCAA program. In his freshman year at Tyler, Ryo and his doubles partner were finalists in the ITA Regional Championships and placed fifth in the ITA Cup. In his sophomore year, he was also named the NJCAA All-American in both singles and doubles and became an NJCAA Division I Champion in singles (flight three) and doubles (flight two).
Boise State University is a public research university located in Boise, Idaho. Emphasising a practical approach to education, Boise State prepares students for success in the real world through hands-on experiences, innovative teaching methods, and engagement with industry partners. The university is an NCAA Division I institution and competes in the Mountain West Conference.
In his first year at Boise State as a junior, Ryo became an Academic All-Mountain West honoree and a Mountain West Scholar-Athlete (receiving a 3.5 or higher cumulative GPA). In the spring of his junior year at Boise State, Ryo recorded a team-best 12-4 record in singles during the team dual season and was undefeated at 4-0 in Mountain West matches.
It has been incredible to watch Ryo continue to elevate his tennis playing abilities as well as his academics throughout the entirety of his college career, and we wish him nothing but the best for his future endeavours after graduating from Boise State!
