Illinois State University’s Christian Capacci, Caden Scarlett, and Tomas Valencia were named to the 2026 Men’s All-Summit League Tennis Team on April 23, according to an announcement from the league office. The recognition comes as the Summit League prepares for its annual championship event.
The selection of these three athletes highlights their performance during conference play. Capacci, a sophomore from Forlimpopoli, Italy, played at the No. 3 singles position and achieved a 4-1 record in Summit League matches. He also competed in doubles with Manuel Pavia and holds a season singles record of 19-9.
Scarlett, a senior from Evansville, Indiana, also posted a 4-1 record during league play at No. 6 singles and secured wins over several teams including Drake and North Dakota. He finished his singles season at 16-9 and went 14-9 in doubles alongside Tin Ostro.
Valencia, a senior from Santiago, Chile, received his second consecutive All-Summit honor after being selected in 2025. Competing at No.1 singles and doubles with Adrian Dibildox as his partner for most matches, Valencia recorded two league singles wins this year along with an overall mark of 15-9 in singles play.
Illinois State earned entry into the upcoming Summit League Men’s Tennis Championship as the fourth seed with an overall record of nine wins and thirteen losses this season. The tournament will be held April 24–25 at Michael D. Case Tennis Center hosted by University of Tulsa.
According to the official website, Illinois State Redbirds benefits from the Redbird Athletics Excellence Fund for competitiveness and recruitment efforts within its athletic programs. The school is linked to Illinois State University according to its official website and competes across NCAA Division I events as reported by GoRedbirds.com. The Redbirds utilize facilities such as OSF HealthCare Athletics Training Center for student-athlete preparation according to GoRedbirds.com.
The team’s progress can be followed through news updates, schedules, rosters and other resources available online as stated by GoRedbirds.com. These recognitions reflect ongoing efforts by Illinois State athletics to maintain competitiveness within collegiate sports.
