Tiago Silva ’26 will be just the second student-athlete in University of the Pacific men’s tennis program history to compete in the NCAA Individual Championships.

The tournament will be played Nov. 19-24 in Waco, Texas.

Silva qualified after making a run to the finals of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Conference Masters Championship recently in Rome, Georgia. Silva was the lone representative from the West Coast Conference in the singles draw and won four matches in three days.

“I am so proud of Tiago. His professionalism, work ethic and leadership have taken a leap forward this year,” said head coach and WCC Coach of the Year Robin Goodman. “There is no secret to success, but implementing excellence every day is not easy. It’s great to see his hard work and consistent practices are paying off. I am very excited to see what he can do at the NCAA Tournament.”

Silva opened the masters with wins over players from Tennessee State and Alabama State, the top singles players from the Ohio Valley Conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference, respectively. His qualifying victory came in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 over Baylor’s Zsombor Velcz, the No. 2 seed.

Silva went on to win one more match with a 7-6 (3), 6-1 victory over Western Michigan’s Anton Arzhankin in the semifinals.

“This is something I really wanted. My goal was to qualify for the NCAA Championships,” Silva said. “I have to say thanks to everyone at Pacific, especially my teammates, my coaches and everyone that is involved with us. I qualified because of them. They push me every day.”

The only other Pacific student-athlete to make it to the individual NCAA Tournament was Arnar Sigurdsson ’06 in 2006. Sigurdsson, the program’s all-time wins leader and 2005 Big West Player of the Year, fell to Travis Helgeson from Texas 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of the NCAAs that season.

Silva had a 15-7 singles record this year, primarily at the No. 3 position. His biggest win was the clinching victory against No. 13 San Diego in a 4-3 triumph on April 7, which extended the team’s winning streak to 14 matches.

Silva played a critical role in Pacific’s turnaround season last spring. He helped the squad earn its first national ranking since 2016 as the Tigers ended the year at No. 57 in the country with a 19-6 record. Silva and the Tigers reached the finals of the NIT Championships in Bradenton, Florida.

The NCAA Championships will be played at the Hurd Tennis Center, hosted by Baylor. The individual tournament is separate from the NCAA Team Championships played in the spring.