RRAC names Xavier's Sanchez, Wheatley as Tennis Players of the Week

WACO, Texas (March 30, 2026) – Congratulations to Xavier's (La.) Christian Sanchez on being named RRAC Men's Tennis Player of the Week, and teammate McKenna Wheatley as Women's Tennis Player of the Week for the dates of March 23-29. This is the seventh set of weekly winners for the 2026 RRAC tennis season.

RRAC Men's Tennis Player of the Week – Christian Sanchez – No. 7 Xavier (La.)

Freshman Christian Sanchez led his team to a 5-2 win over New College of Florida.

Although the Gold Rush did not earn the doubles point, Sanchez and partner Nereo Suarez have stormed from unranked to the No. 4 doubles pair in the nation since the spring season started. The two defeated Konstantin Kukaras and Pedro Lemos 6-3 at No. 1 doubles.

Against St. Thomas (Fla.), Sanchez led the team to a 4-3 battle. At No. 1 doubles, Suarez and Sanchez defeated Pablo Olmedo and Ivan Menendez 6-2. Sanchez defeated Olmedo 6-3, 6-2 at No. 2 singles. Sanchez is ranked the No. 12 singles player in the NAIA, per ITA.

XULA is 12-5 and is ranked No. 7 in the NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches Top 25 Poll, and No. 3 in the ITA ratings.

Additional RRAC men's tennis player of the week nominee: Matia Penaranda from Texas A&M-Texarkana

RRAC Women's Tennis Player of the Week – McKenna Wheatley – No. 6 Xavier (La.)

At No. 2 singles, senior McKenna Wheatley defeated St. Thomas' (Fla.) Maeva Roguet 7-5, 6-0 and New College of Florida's Camila Cardona-Carballosa 6-4, 6-0. As the No. 1 doubles player, Wheatley and partner Maja Brnic defeated St. Thomas' Marta Miralles and Alicia Andres Rodriguez 6-1 and New College's Emilia Schulte and Itza Rogel 6-4.

The Gold Nuggets downed New College 5-2 and St. Thomas 4-3.

Wheatley is currently ranked as the No. 18 singles player in the country by ITA. Wheatley and Brnic are ranked as the NAIA's No. 3 pair.

Wheatley is a native of Madison, Miss.

XULA is 13-5 and is ranked No. 6 in the NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches Top 25 Poll, and No. 1 in the ITA ratings.

Additional RRAC women's tennis players of the week nominees: Akari Uchiyama from Louisiana Christian, Lucia Siddens from Texas A&M-Texarkana, Nahia Echaide from LSU Alexandria

RRAC Notebook

• TAMUT freshman Matia Penaranda won in both his singles matches this week against Dillard (La.), and he secured a victory in the exhibition doubles match against Weatherford College.
• LCU freshman Akari Uchiyama was the bright spot in a tough road match against No. 10 Loyola (La.). She and Ana Sofia Ferrer Martinez gave LCU the early lead in doubles with a 6-0 win in the No. 3 match-up. She then supplied LCU's lone point in the match with a 6-4, 6-2 win in the No. 5 singles match.
• TAMUT freshman Lucia Siddens went 4-0 on the week, winning all her matches in both the ranked matchup against Dillard and the exhibition match versus Weatherford.
• LSUA sophomore Nahia Echaide won her singles match against St. Thomas' Caterina Antonini 6-4, 6-2. She won her doubles match 7-5. Against Florida National, she won her singles match against Valeria Labrador Perez 6-2, 6-2, and her doubles match 6-0.

2026 RRAC Tennis Weekly Selections:

This week in the RRAC: