By TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – One of the best to ever throw on the purple and gold, Borja Zarco's name is prominently draped throughout the Tennessee Tech tennis record books. Highlighted by his Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year campaign in 2008, Zarco secured All-OVC First Team honors in each of his final three seasons as a Golden Eagle.
He is one of four inductees into the 46th class of the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame. After forgoing last year's induction ceremony due to the ongoing factors surrounding COVID-19, the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame returns in 2021 and will hold its 46th and 47th inductions during Homecoming weekend, Nov. 12-13. In addition to the Class of 2021 being recognized, the Class of 2020 will also be honored and officially inducted, with Zarco, A.J. Kirby-Jones (baseball, 2008-10), Stephanie Place Buchanan (women's cross country/track & field, 2005-10), and Thomas Squires (football, 1985-87) all set to join this year's class, consisting of Frank Harrell (men's basketball head coach/administration, 1980-present), Morris Irby (baseball, 1968-71), Leah Meffert Turner (volleyball, 2007-10), Chad Oberacker (baseball, 2008-11), and Ashley Potts Williams (softball, 2004-07), as the newest members of the TTU Sports Hall of Fame.
A four-year letter winner from 2005-08, Zarco led TTU in singles wins in each of his four years as a Golden Eagle, while also pacing the club in doubles wins in each of his last two campaigns in purple and gold. Zarco's 79 career singles wins are good enough for third-most on the all-time TTU list and were second-most at the time of his graduation in 2008.
The Madrid native's .642 career singles winning percentage is the eighth highest in program history, while his 48 career doubles victories are good enough for 13th most within the all-time Tech ranks, and his 124 career combined wins are ninth-most on the program's all-time list.
Zarco's 2008 OVC Player of the Year campaign will go down as one of the best ever in school history. His 27-4 singles record nets him with the third-highest winning percentage in a single season in program history with a .871 clip. Zarco's 27 wins are fourth-most in a single season in program history and his 44 combined victories that year are also fourth-most in one season in school history.
He proved to be a winner throughout his time as a Golden Eagle, serving as a catalyst on Tech teams that took home a combined four Ohio Valley Conference championships during his tenure. With Zarco primarily playing at the top of the singles and doubles lineup, TTU claimed both the regular season and tournament title in 2006, the regular-season championship in 2007, and the regular-season crown in 2008.
Zarco also made program history in 2008, becoming the first Golden Eagle to ever participate in the NCAA Division I singles championships, and he remained the only one for nine years after his graduation until Eduardo Mena accomplished the feat in 2017.
He graduated from Tennessee Tech in 2009 with a degree in civil engineering.
The Hall of Fame Dinner will be held on Friday, Nov. 12, at 6:30 p.m. CT in the Multipurpose Room of the University Center. Tickets are available through the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office by calling 931-372-3940 or by visiting TTUSports.com. Both groups will also be recognized at the Homecoming football game on Saturday afternoon against UT Martin, which features a 1:30 p.m. CT kickoff.
