Matias Boeker, a University of Georgia men’s tennis legend who won the triple crown of collegiate tennis in 2001 and the NCAA singles titles in 2002, was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Georgia Center on Thursday.
 
 
Boeker joins Georgia greats Dan Magill, Al Parker, Allen Miller and Mikael Pernfors, as well as contributors Gordon Smith and Col. John ‘Judge’ Beaver in the ITA Hall of Fame. In addition to Boeker, the 2017 class features Nick Bollettieri (Spring Hill College), James Blake (Harvard University), Francis Baxter (University of Central Oklahoma men 1970-2006 and women 1980-2006) and Bill Otta (Saddlebrook College 1975-2000).
 
 
“For me, being inducted in the hall of fame means a lot more than having been a good player on the tennis court,” Boeker said during Thursday’s event. “It really means to have been lucky enough to be a part of college tennis and to have learned such great life lessons to apply to the real world. Being on such a high performing team and on Manny’s team and hearing his famous quote ‘you got to love the battle’ over and over and over again is really what I transferred over to real life.”
 
 
After being named the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2000, Boeker, a native of Buenos Aries, Argentina, completed just the third triple crown in NCAA history in 2001 as he helped guide Georgia to its fourth national championship while winning both the NCAA singles and doubles titles.
 
 
In his final season in 2002, Boeker won the NCAA singles title for the second straight year. Boeker was honored as the ITA National Player of the Year and as the SEC Player of the Year. He played most of that spring — and most of his career for that matter — in the No. 1 singles and doubles spots, earning All-America honors in both positions.
 
 
Boeker, who also was an All-American as both a freshman and sophomore, became only the ninth Bulldog to garner All-America accolades at least three times. He ended his final season with a 28-3 singles record and riding a 23-match win streak. In three seasons, Boeker posted a 108-25 singles record and an 88-31 mark in doubles play.
 
 
Boeker graduated in 2007 with a degree in International Business. He earned his dual degree (MBA and MA in International Studies) in 2014 from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.