Indiana University Athletics
Redding Earns Tichenor Award
3/10/2020 2:06:00 PM | Men's Tennis
By Jared Rigdon
When Andrew Redding came to Indiana from North Carolina for his official visit in Bloomington, he was blown away by the Kelley School of Business.
Tennis was the driving factor in his recruitment, but he has always valued the importance of academics. Having a prestigious school where he could study finance while playing collegiate tennis at one of the highest levels peaked his interest.
That drive to perform at the highest level with immense success plays a part in why in his junior year, Redding has been earned the highest individual academic award an athlete can earn at IU, the Jack D. Tichenor Award.
Redding will be honored as the male student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA. This award is often considered the pristine academic award at IU. Former winners like wrestler Spencer Irick and women's soccer player Allison Jordan have thrived in both the classroom and on the playing surface.
"I've definitely had to make some scarifies here and there to do what I've wanted in the classroom," Redding said. "To receive this reassurance is very nice. I don't do it for the recognition but it's a byproduct of what you've built."
While Redding has dominated the classroom scene, his efforts on the tennis court are a driving factor in IU's rampant start to the season.
He's been present in the backend of IU's lineup this season and has contributed a 3-2 record in dual matches. IU is off to one of its best starts in program history. The Hoosiers are 8-3 and have won five straight matches heading into the start of conference play.
IU recently cracked the Top 50 in the team rankings and have seen players like seniors Zac Brodney and Bennett Crane feature in the individual rankings.
"It's extremely motivating," Redding said. "I think we realize that we're one of the strongest teams out there. We're not content at all. We want more. We're all super motivated and we want to keep moving our ranking up higher."
Redding was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and was expected to contribute right away. During his freshman campaign, he held a 10-2 record at singles. Still, he felt like there was a bit of adjustment to the collegiate lifestyle.
He credits IU head coach Jeremy Wurtzman for helping develop a level of mental toughness that has helped him both in the classroom and on the court.
"Coming in, I didn't have a lot of mental training," Redding said. "With all of our practices and fitness, it's all built around being mentally tough as a team. To have that drive, I feel like that 'willingness to not lose' is something that I haven't had in the past."
Redding's success in the classroom is a testament to the success that the entire men's tennis program has had in academics. The team was recently awarded the Herbert Cup for the IU team with the highest GPA.
"Andrew works extremely hard in his academics," Wurtzman said. "His discipline to do well in the classroom as well as on the court is a true testament to his character. This is a great honor for Andrew to achieve and well deserved."
"Andrew represents the best in the true scholar-athlete," Director of Academic Services Dan Woodside said. "He earns stellar grades in one of the most highly ranked business schools in the country while taking many honors-level courses in his program of study. Andrew remains humble and affable amidst his academic success, and he stands as a positive role-model for his peers."
While he's thankful for the award, Redding doesn't want to get too caught up in individual awards. He'll keep succeeding in the classroom while at the same time doing whatever it takes on the court to get IU back to the NCAA Tournament.
When Andrew Redding came to Indiana from North Carolina for his official visit in Bloomington, he was blown away by the Kelley School of Business.
Tennis was the driving factor in his recruitment, but he has always valued the importance of academics. Having a prestigious school where he could study finance while playing collegiate tennis at one of the highest levels peaked his interest.
That drive to perform at the highest level with immense success plays a part in why in his junior year, Redding has been earned the highest individual academic award an athlete can earn at IU, the Jack D. Tichenor Award.
Redding will be honored as the male student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA. This award is often considered the pristine academic award at IU. Former winners like wrestler Spencer Irick and women's soccer player Allison Jordan have thrived in both the classroom and on the playing surface.
"I've definitely had to make some scarifies here and there to do what I've wanted in the classroom," Redding said. "To receive this reassurance is very nice. I don't do it for the recognition but it's a byproduct of what you've built."
While Redding has dominated the classroom scene, his efforts on the tennis court are a driving factor in IU's rampant start to the season.
He's been present in the backend of IU's lineup this season and has contributed a 3-2 record in dual matches. IU is off to one of its best starts in program history. The Hoosiers are 8-3 and have won five straight matches heading into the start of conference play.
IU recently cracked the Top 50 in the team rankings and have seen players like seniors Zac Brodney and Bennett Crane feature in the individual rankings.
"It's extremely motivating," Redding said. "I think we realize that we're one of the strongest teams out there. We're not content at all. We want more. We're all super motivated and we want to keep moving our ranking up higher."
Redding was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and was expected to contribute right away. During his freshman campaign, he held a 10-2 record at singles. Still, he felt like there was a bit of adjustment to the collegiate lifestyle.
He credits IU head coach Jeremy Wurtzman for helping develop a level of mental toughness that has helped him both in the classroom and on the court.
"Coming in, I didn't have a lot of mental training," Redding said. "With all of our practices and fitness, it's all built around being mentally tough as a team. To have that drive, I feel like that 'willingness to not lose' is something that I haven't had in the past."
Redding's success in the classroom is a testament to the success that the entire men's tennis program has had in academics. The team was recently awarded the Herbert Cup for the IU team with the highest GPA.
"Andrew works extremely hard in his academics," Wurtzman said. "His discipline to do well in the classroom as well as on the court is a true testament to his character. This is a great honor for Andrew to achieve and well deserved."
"Andrew represents the best in the true scholar-athlete," Director of Academic Services Dan Woodside said. "He earns stellar grades in one of the most highly ranked business schools in the country while taking many honors-level courses in his program of study. Andrew remains humble and affable amidst his academic success, and he stands as a positive role-model for his peers."
While he's thankful for the award, Redding doesn't want to get too caught up in individual awards. He'll keep succeeding in the classroom while at the same time doing whatever it takes on the court to get IU back to the NCAA Tournament.
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