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BATON ROUGE — LSU head coach Tony Minnis was named Southwest Regional Coach of the Year by his peers, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced Thursday.

Lady Tiger sophomore Marina Chiarelli was also honored by Southwest Region coaches with the Arthur Ashe, Jr. Award for Sportsmanship and Leadership.

Minnis and Chiarelli are now among eight national finalists for the awards. National winners will be announced later this month at the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga.

Minnis led the Lady Tigers to the Southeastern Conference Western Division title this year. His team is ranked 19th in the nation and begins play Saturday in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Austin, Texas.

“I feel like this is more an indication of the team and what they