UNCW Athletic Hall of Fame
A native of Chiclayo, Peru, Rafael Aita established a high standard for the men’s tennis team during his spectacular career on the courts from 2011-14.
Over four seasons, Aita, playing primarily No. 1 singles and doubles, led the Seahawks to a 72-22 record, three Coastal Athletic Association championships, four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and a team ranking in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association as high as No. 33. Individually, he climbed to No. 17 (singles) and No.14 (doubles) in the national rankings.
Aita earned First-Team All-CAA honors three times in singles and twice in doubles and was named CAA Player of the Year in 2013 and 2014. He became the first UNCW tennis player to earn CAA Player of the Year accolades in 2013. In 2014, he was named the CAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Aita lost only one conference match during his four seasons at UNCW.
On the national stage, Aita played in two NCAA Singles Tournaments, one NCAA Doubles Tournament and four NCAA Team Tournaments as a Seahawk. Alongside teammate Sam Williams, Aita won the ITA Carolina Regional Championship in 2013, leading the duo to a ranking as high as No. 14 after going a perfect 17-0 in doubles – a school record.
Aita racked up a a 64-18 singles record in his storied career and went a sparkling 42-10 in doubles play. He ranks second in all-time in singles victories (64) and first in singles (.780) and doubles (808) winning percentage at UNCW.
Capping off his career at UNCW, Aita was named recipient of the Thomas V. Moseley Award as the school’s top student-athlete in 2014. Internationally, Aita represented Peru in the 2014 Davis Cup before deciding to retire from professional tennis to pursue a career in corporate finance.
Aita spent two seasons as an assistant coach at George Washington while completing his Master’s Degree, helping the Colonials capture the Atlantic 10 Conference championship en route to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2016.
