Deji Thomas-Smith

Class:
Freshman
Height:
5-11
Weight:
176
Prev School:
Barnet Southgate College
Hometown:
London, United Kingdom

2022-23 (Jr.)
• CSC Academic All-District Men’s Tennis Team
• Included on ASUN Academic Honor Roll
• Totaled a 20-15 singles mark and a 19-13 doubles record
• Achieved a Fall season with a 7-5 singles and a 5-6 doubles record
• Victorious in first two singles matches of the fall, also his first doubles match
• Ended the spring season with a 13-10 (7-0 ASUN) singles mark and a 14-7 (5-1 ASUN) doubles record
• Only Flame with an unbeaten ASUN record with more than four victories
• His match against No. 5 Kentucky’s No. 14 Joshua Lapadat wen unfinished while he was leading a third set tiebreaker 3-6, 7-6, (7-3)
• Grabbed three wins facing opponents on ranked teams (No. 46 Penn State, No. 67 Boise State and No. 60 Denver)
• Played across three singles positions, going 1-3 from No. 2, 7-4 from No. 3 and 5-3 from No. 4
• Played all doubles matches in the spring with partner Luis Felipe Miguel
• Tied for team lead with five ASUN doubles triumphs
• Held nine match win streak from Feb. 12-March 26
• Played between two positions going 13-6 from No. 2 and 1-1 from No. 3
• Individually, was 5-2 in matches against ranked teams

2021-22 (So.)
• Garnered inclusion on ASUN Academic Honor Roll
• Totaled 15 singles wins, 11 in the fall and four in the spring
• Finished third on the squad with 11 singles wins in the fall (11-8 record)
• Had two three-match winning streaks during fall campaign
• Won three matches in the No. 5 slot and one in the No. 4 slot during the spring
• Tallied 11 doubles wins, seven in the fall and four in the spring
• Won doubles matches with Christiaan Worst (10) and Zion Heaven (1)
• Teamed up with Zion Heaven for a No. 3 doubles win by a 6-2 score in the ASUN Championship semifinals vs. No. 75 Kennesaw State’s Sergio Ingles and Seru Tezuka (April 23)
• Posted 7-4 record with Worst as his partner during fall competition

Spring 2021 (Fr.)
• Earned ASUN Doubles Pair of the Year honors with partner Christiaan Worst
• Received ASUN All-Conference first team honors
• Honored on ASUN All-Tournament team
• Clinched Liberty’s first-ever conference title, defeating FGCU’s Felipe Ramirez 7-5, 6-4 in the ASUN title match to give the Flames the 4-0 win
• Named to VaSID All-State doubles second team with Worst
• Posted a 10-6 doubles record with Worst, going 7-4 in the No. 1 slot and 3-2 in the No. 2 slot in the lineup
• Finished the year as the No. 6-ranked doubles pair in the final Oracle/ITA Division I Regional Rankings
• Won the most crucial doubles match of the year with Worst, 7-6 (4) over FGCU’s Magnus Johnson and Max Damm in the ASUN Championship title match, giving Liberty the doubles point in an eventual 4-0 win over the Eagles
• Claimed victories in seven of his last 10 doubles matches with Worst
• Garnered inclusion on ASUN All-Freshman team
• Tabbed to VaSID All-State singles second team
• Named ASUN Player of the Week for the first time in his career (March 24)
• Garnered inclusion on ASUN Academic Honor Roll
• Finished season with 15-8 singles mark, good for third most wins on team
• Posted 4-0 mark at No. 2 singles while also collecting five victories in the No. 4 slot, three at No. 6, two at No. 3 and one at No. 5
*Note: Liberty did not compete in a fall 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2019-20 (Fr.)
• Honored as ITA Scholar Athlete
• Garnered inclusion on ASUN Academic Honor Roll
• Posted 15 singles victories on the season, five in the spring and 10 in the fall
• Held 5-4 record in dual matches, including a 2-0 mark in the No. 3 slot and a 3-4 record in the No. 6 slot
• Picked up singles victories over opponents from No. 38 Virginia and Virginia Tech during spring campaign
• Won two singles matches at ITA Atlantic Regional in the fall
• Tied for the most doubles victories on the team with 14, three in the spring and 11 in the fall
• Reached the doubles main draw final at the ITA Atlantic Regional at Virginia with partner Nicaise Muamba, compiling a 5-1 record and becoming only the second pairing in program history to play for a regional doubles title
• Collected other doubles victories with Ian Sturgill (2) and Goncalo Ferreira (1)
• Claimed White doubles flight crown (3-0 record) with partner Steve Mundt at season-opening Liberty University Invitational, Sept. 15
• Held an 8-4 record with Muamba, including a 7-2 fall mark
• Collected other doubles victories with Ian Sturgill (2) and Goncalo Ferreira (1)
*Note: Remainder of the season was cancelled on March 13, 2020 due to health concerns related to the COVID-19 virus

Prep
• Graduate of Barnet Southgate College
• Reached as high as No. 20 in Great Britain’s national rankings
• Won a grade 2 doubles title in 2018 and also reached the singles final
• Finished runner-up in another grade 2 national doubles tournament
• Captured two national championship with Surrey Tennis and part of a Surrey team which is in the top national division

Personal
• Son of Olawale Thomas and Emma Smith
• Majoring in exercise science – strength & conditioning
• Birthday is Sept. 8