TEMPE, Ariz.--The data wasn't deep during the shortened 2020 tennis season, but there was enough evidence for Hawai`i Hilo sophomore Martin Soukal to earn the honor of being called an ITA Division II Tennis All-American. 

Soukal and 22 other singles players from across the nation were selected, announced by the ITA office in Tempe, Arizona today. The 6-foot-5 Czech Republic native was joined by two other players from the Pacific West Conference in Sam Sippel of Azusa Pacific and Benjamin Loccisano of Hawai`i Pacific. On the doubles All-American team, HPU was represented by Ondrej Ctverak and Matel Panik, and APU had the team of Leyton Bohren and Jesse Haas.

Soukal was ranked fourth in the NCAA Division II West Region rankings in singles. He was 4-1 when the season ground to a halt, having beaten two players that were ranked in the ITA Fall national rankings--No. 4 Anish Sriniketh of St. Edwards (TX) and No. 9 Manuel Pilotto of Southeast Oklahoma State. He didn't get the opportunity to play the three players ranked ahead of him in the regional rankings from Azusa Pacific, Sippel (also #3 nationally), Jakob Schnaitter and Ryan Nuno. Teams from Azusa and Hawaii Pacific had the added luxury of playing a Fall season, a perk that Soukal didn't have.

In 2019, Soukal was the PacWest Freshman of the Year. He went 14-2 in singles and 17-3 in doubles.

"I am very impressed with Martin's game and how he has been able to add to it in a short time," said Soukal's coach Kallen Mizuguchi. "I believe that he has the potential to be ranked very high nationally. I am very excited to see what he can do in the upcoming years."