Southern Ozaki Junior Cup

The Rick Davison MVP Award

Zachary Szymanski earned the prestigious 2024 Rick Davison MVP Trophy for his remarkable play, leadership, team spirit, and sportsmanship. The trophy, named in honor of long-time USTA Georgia Director of Junior Competition, Rick Davison, personally awarded by Davison at the awards ceremony.

The Rick Davison Award is a prestigious MVP trophy awarded by USTA Georgia to the player who best demonstrates exceptional team spirit, outstanding sportsmanship, significant match success, and exemplary leadership throughout the Cup. This special honor is presented on Sunday to the team member who, in the eyes of their coaches, truly exemplifies these qualities.

Named in honor of Rick Davison, the long-time USTA Georgia Director of Junior Competition, this award celebrates his profound dedication and contagious enthusiasm for the Junior Cup. Rick’s legacy of passion and commitment is reflected in this award, recognizing players who embody his remarkable spirit and make a meaningful impact on their team and the sport.

In addition to receiving the trophy, the award recipient’s picture is added to a commemorative plaque featuring all the past winners of the Rick Davison Award. This plaque is proudly displayed in the USTA Georgia office, serving as a lasting tribute to the outstanding players who have exemplified the values Rick Davison championed.

Selection Process for SOJC Team Georgia

The Southern Ozaki Junior Cup is a team competition for ages 12-18 that is held annually. Each age group is comprised of three boys and three girls to represent Georgia. Alternates for each age/gender group are also selected. A “Save the Date” invite is sent out to the top 10 players in each age group in early June. Final selections are made by August. The selection process is detailed below:

Only players with no more than five (5) active Suspension Points are eligible for selection.

USTA national rankings, Tennis Recruiting information, Head-to-Head results, WTN ratings and Doubles rankings are considered in making the final selections. Selections are made by a subcommittee of 3 members of the Junior Competition Committee who report their findings back to the Committee for a final vote.