Maine's Barber Named 2023 Junior Scholar Athlete

XANDER BARBER, ESHA VELAGA, NAMED 2023 USTA NATIONAL JUNIOR SCHOLAR ATHLETES

ORLANDO, Fla., August 8, 2023 – The USTA today announced that Xander Barber, of Falmouth, ME and Esha Velaga, of Colmar, PA., were named the recipients of the 2023 USTA National Junior Scholar Athlete Award.

Barber recently graduated from Falmouth High School after relocating to Maine from Asheville, NC, ahead of his senior year. His impact on the tennis court was felt immediately as Barber led Falmouth to a state championship and was named the state’s Player of the Year. He is currently ranked as one of the top 18-and-under players in the country and won the doubles title at the USTA National Winter Championships in back-to-back years. Barber will be continuing his tennis career next year at Dartmouth College. In the classroom, Barber has a 3.9 GPA and was named an AP Scholar with Distinction. He is a member of the National Honor Society and was a National Merit Scholarship finalist. Barber volunteers his time for a number of organizations, including serving as a peer tutor and tennis coach.

Velaga is a recent graduate of North Penn High School and will continue her tennis career next year at the nearby University of Pennsylvania. She is ranked as one of the top 18-and-under players in the country and her decorated high school tennis career included winning the PIAA 3A girls’ singles state championship in 2021. She has had impressive showings at a number of national USTA junior events, including earning multiple sportsmanship awards. In the classroom, Velaga is just as impressive, carrying a 6.49 cumulative weighted GPA. She is a member of multiple National Honor Societies, is a PSAT National Merit Scholarship winner and was named an AP Scholar with Distinction. She spends her free time giving back to the community through various volunteer efforts including assisting with the running of local tennis events.

“Esha and Xander’s achievements on the court, in the classroom and in the community truly make them exemplary leaders among their peers,” said Craig Morris, Chief Executive, Community Tennis, USTA. “They are both very deserving of this honor and have bright futures ahead of them.”

This is the 11th year the USTA has awarded its National Junior Scholar Athlete award. To qualify, students must have an unweighted GPA of 3.75 on a 4.0 scale and be ranked in the Top 100 of the USTA Boys’ or Girls’ 18s national standings. A written essay, as well as leadership and sportsmanship, were also considered. Velaga and Barber were presented with their awards at the USTA National Championships taking place in San Diego and Kalamazoo, MI., respectively, this week.

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The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking seven summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 120 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.