CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The coaches have selected the 2025-26 American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Men's Tennis postseason award selections. These outstanding student-athletes have distinguished themselves throughout the conference regular season and individual tournament.
Head coaches from the conference nominated and selected this year's all-conference team, recognizing the top performers. In addition to the all-conference team, the announcement also recognizes the Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year.
The A-R-C proudly announces today that Luther College's Joao Benvenutti has been selected as Men's Tennis Player of the Year for the 2025-26 season. Coe College's Anthony Schulte has been named Rookie of the Year and Luther head coach Adam Strand and his staff were voted American Rivers Conference Coaching Staff of the Year. In addition to the major awards, the conference announced the 2025-26 all-conference team.
In his 15th season as head coach, Stand and his staff led the Norse to a perfect 8-0 regular season conference record and an American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) regular season and tournament title. The regular season title was the 37th in program history and the tournament title was the 12th in school history. With the championship, Luther earned the league's automatic berth to the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Tournament. This is the seventh time under the direction of Strand that Luther has won Coaching Staff of the Year honors. The Norse now have 25 men's tennis coach of the year accoloades since the award was first presented in 1975. The previous head coaches earning the award include: Rich Leake (12), Brian Huinker (6), and Paul Solberg (1).
Benvenutti, a senior, is earning his first Player of the Year honors. He is the tenth student-athlete to earn player of the year honors out of Decorah, joining Rolf Wulfsberg (1967-1969), Bob Frost (1971, 1973, 1974), Jeff Renken (1975-1976), Tom Wolte (1987), Sujay Lama (1989-1992), Chris Rovn (1993, 1995), Christian Klein (2006), Max Busch (2007), Scott Sundstrom (2009, 2011-2012), Luke Westholder (2023-2025). Benvenutti earned his way onto the all-conference singles and doubles teams in addition. He tallied a conference record of 5-0 at No. 1 singles and 4-1 record in doubles. Overall, he posted records of 20-5 in singles and 23-4 in doubles.
Schulte of Coe College is earning Rookie of the Year honors, the second consecutive year a Kohawk has claimed this honor. In addition, Schulte earned singles and doubles all-conference honors. In conference action, Schulte posted a 4-1 record in singles and 6-0 record in doubles.
| 2025-26 All-American Rivers Conference Men's Tennis Team |
| Most Valuable Player - Joao Benvenutti, Luther |
| Rookie of the Year- Anthony Schulte, Coe |
| Coaching Staff of the Year - Luther College (Head Coach: Adam Strand) |
| Singles |
School |
Year |
Hometown / High School |
| Bodi Kortz |
Central College |
Fr. |
Wormerveer, Netherlands / St. Michael College |
| Anthony Schulte |
Coe College |
Fr. |
Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Prairie |
| Josh Tiemann |
Coe College |
So. |
St. Louis, Mo. / Oakville |
| Bryton Short |
Coe College |
Jr. |
Metamora, Ill. / Metamora Township |
| Daniel Rohlman |
Coe College |
So. |
Charlotte, N.C. / Providence |
| Jumpei Kasai |
Coe College |
Jr. |
Ota, Tokoyo / Seikei |
| Gavin Murrie |
University of Dubuque |
Sr. |
Lindenhurst, Ill. / Lakes Community |
| Gage Becker |
Loras College |
Sr. |
Yankton, S.D. / Yankton |
| Juan Hernandez |
Luther College |
Jr. |
Bogota, Colombia / Coegio San Mateo Apostol |
| Joao Benvenutti |
Luther College |
Sr. |
Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil / Colegio Saber |
| Abhay Chhabra |
Luther College |
Sr. |
New Delhi, India / Harvest International School |
| Gerado Ramirez Mainou |
Luther College |
So. |
San Juan del Rio, Mexico / Instituto Bilingue Victoria |
| Doubles |
School |
Year |
Hometown / High School |
| Bodi Kortz |
Central College |
Fr. |
Wormerveer, Netherlands / St. Michael College |
| Jumpei Kasai |
Coe College |
Jr. |
Ota, Tokoyo / Seikei |
| Bryton Short |
Coe College |
Jr. |
Metamora, Ill. / Metamora Township |
| Anthony Schulte |
Coe College |
Fr. |
Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Prairie |
| Daniel Rohlman |
Coe College |
So. |
Charlotte, N.C. / Providence |
| Josh Tiemann |
Coe College |
So. |
St. Louis, Mo. / Oakville |
| Gavin Murrie |
University of Dubuque |
Sr. |
Lindenhurst, Ill. / Lakes Community |
| Gage Becker |
Loras College |
Sr. |
Yankton, S.D. / Yankton |
| Joao Benvenutti |
Luther College |
Sr. |
Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil / Colegio Saber |
| Jake Nelson |
Luther College |
Fr. |
Clive, Iowa / Waukee Northwest |
| Abhay Chhabra |
Luther College |
Sr. |
New Delhi, India / Harvest International School |
| Rhys Biro-Moore |
Luther College |
Jr. |
Nottingham, England |
| Honorable Mention |
School |
Year |
Hometown / High School |
| Alex Slaymaker |
Central College |
Jr. |
Geneseo, Ill. / Geneseo |
| Ivan Burt-Smith |
Coe College |
Sr. |
Selkirk, Scotland / Selkirk |
| Luke Doig |
Coe College |
Jr. |
Toowoomba, Australia / St. Joseph's Nudgee |
| Jake Wallrichs |
University of Dubuque |
So. |
Robins, Iowa / Linn-Mar |
| Dali Martens |
Loras College |
Fr. |
Breda, Netherlands / De Nassau School |
| Geoffrey Stoughton |
Luther College |
Sr. |
Santa Cruz, Bolivia / Santa Cruz International School |
| Benny Ramker |
Wartburg College |
So. |
Waverly, Iowa / Waverly-Shell Rock |
| Robert Matera |
Wartburg College |
So. |
Davenport, Iowa / Bettendorf |
| Cole Palese |
Wartburg College |
Fr. |
Crystal Lake, Ill. / Prairie Ridge |
About the American Rivers Conference
Nationally respected for excellence in NCAA Division III athletics, the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) has a tradition dating back to its founding in 1922 as the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Association and adopted its current name in 2018 to reflect its strong Iowa roots and growing regional footprint. The A-R-C is a collaborative community that champions the holistic development of student-athletes, uniting member institutions in a shared commitment to academic achievement, athletic distinction, and leadership.
The A-R-C is home to nine full-time member institutions: Buena Vista University, Central College, Coe College, University of Dubuque, Loras College, Luther College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Simpson College, and Wartburg College. Luther College has announced its departure from the conference, effective at the conclusion of the 2025–26 academic year.
