DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University men's tennis sophomore Gabriel Cucalon has been named the NCCU Student-Athlete of the Month for September 2016 in recognition of his outstanding accomplishments on the court, in the classroom and in the community.
 
A native of Guayaquil, Ecuador, Cucalon won his first eight singles matches of the fall season to capture a pair of titles in September.
 
He opened the month winning four consecutive straight-set matches to win the B Singles Flight at the UNC Wilmington Seahawk Fall Invitational.
 
The following weekend, Cucalon, an unseeded competitor in the 25-player top singles bracket, knocked off four consecutive seeded players to capture the A Flight title at the HBCU National Championships.
 
The Eagles' reigning Team MVP serves as team captain, is a representative of the NCCU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and a member of NCCU Athletics Director's Captains Council.
 
He boasts an overall grade point average of 3.67, majoring in marketing. After pursuing his goal of becoming a professional tennis player, he plans to either stay in the United States or go to Italy (his second nationality) for a career in business.
 
For a complete list of award winners, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.