Augusta, GA
Valette Earns Elite 18 Award; Augusta Men’s Tennis Lands Three on Peach Belt All-Conference Teams – Augusta University
AUGUSTA, Ga. – With the Peach Belt Conference Tournament set to begin tomorrow, the conference office has announced the 2026 men’s tennis all-conference honors. Arthur Valette headlined Augusta’s selections by earning the Peach Belt Conference Elite 18 Award, presented to the student-athlete competing in the championship with the highest cumulative GPA.
A senior from Lyon, France, Valette competed in 18 matches this season for Augusta. He posted a 9-7 singles record and a 6-10 doubles mark, including a 3-3 record in both singles and doubles during conference play.
Augusta also placed three student-athletes on the all-conference teams. David Perret was named Second Team All-Conference Singles, while the doubles tandem of Alexis Bailhache and Perret earned Second Team All-Conference Doubles honors.
Perret, a junior from London, England, has been a key contributor throughout the season in both singles and doubles play. Bailhache, a senior from Nantes, France, teamed with Perret to give the Jaguars a consistent presence in doubles competition.
League major awards were claimed by Thomas Cardona of Columbus State, who was named Player of the Year, and teammate Hugo Didier, who earned Freshman of the Year honors. Columbus State head coach Evan Isaacs was selected Coach of the Year.
PBC Elite 18 Award
Arthur Valette, Augusta
Senior
- The PBC Elite 18 Award is presented at each of the PBC’s 18 championships to the student-athlete competing with the highest cumulative GPA
- Competed in 18 matches this season for Augusta
- Had a 9-7 record in singles and a 6-10 record in doubles
- Ended conference play with a 3-3 singles record and 3-3 doubles record
First Team All-Conference Singles
Thomas Cardona, Columbus State
Hugo Didier, Columbus State
Aniss Rafiq, Flagler
Ilian Borlee, Flagler
Harry Pugh, Lander
Pedro Liborio, North Georgia
First Team All-Conference Doubles
Andrea Sandrone / Elias Peter, Columbus State
Aly El Rafie / Noah Paterson, Flagler
Harry Pugh / Brendan Jayaprakash, Lander
Second Team All-Conference Singles
David Perret, Augusta
Aly El Rafie, Flagler
Simon Malis, Flagler
Chase Martin, GCSU
Daniel García Suárez, Middle Georgia
Alejandro Vizoso Ansedes, Middle Georgia
Joao Silva, North Georgia
Second Team All-Conference Doubles
Alexis Bailhache / David Perret, Augusta
Daniel Hammond / Benedek Szombathelyi, Columbus State
Juan Cruz Blanco / Ben Brandl, North Georgia
Player of the Year: Thomas Cardona, Columbus State
Freshman of the Year: Hugo Didier, Columbus State
Coach of the Year: Evan Isaacs, Columbus State
Elite 18 Award: Arthur Valette, Augusta
Augusta opens Peach Belt Conference Tournament play tomorrow against North Georgia in Columbus, Georgia.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Augusta Dream Center is seeing more families turn to its food pantry this summer as children lose access to school lunches.
Organizations like the Augusta Dream Center see a surge in families who relied on school lunches during the academic year, according to Hallie Kohan, assistant director.
“We see a lot more families that have young kids who are in need that simply don’t have those meals they are normally getting,” Kohan said. “We see an influx of families that come through.”
Demand is up, but the food supply is not keeping pace.
“Right now we are having some food distribution issues so while we are seeing an increase in families, we are seeing a decrease in the amount of food coming through our doors,” Kohan said.
The center is asking the community to host food drives or donate kid-friendly items such as mac and cheese and oatmeal.
Every Sunday the Dream Center opens its doors for a hot meal, serving as many as 120 people.
“Families can come in and get their hot meal. They sit down, it’s dignified, it’s a diner,” Kohan said. “It’s a welcoming experience for kids to come in and not feel like they are in need.”
No paperwork is required to receive help.
“Just because you think someone is in a great situation, in today’s economy you never know,” Kohan said. “It could be your neighbor, mom, or best friend.”
The Augusta Dream Center food pantry is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon and Thursdays from 5 to 6 p.m. Hot meals are served Sundays from 5 to 6 p.m.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Construction continues on the James Brown Linear Park in downtown Augusta, with ceiling tiles now installed inside the park structures.
The tiles feature designs showcasing the Godfather of Soul from different years in his career.
According to the city, the completed park will include an interactive water feature that will “dance” to Brown’s greatest hits. A statue of the music icon will return to a new stage at the park.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The city of Augusta is hosting an Independence Day event to celebrate America’s 250th birthday and the city’s 290th birthday.
Augusta is partnering with North Augusta for the event, telling the communities to meet at the river.
There will be food, music, crafts and more. Attendees are asked to bring their own lawn chairs.
The event starts at 5 p.m. with fireworks going off at 9:30 p.m. on July 4.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
-
Arkansas3 minutes agoAuthorities report 2 Tulsa residents found dead in Arkansas from apparent murder-suicide
-
California6 minutes ago2 Northern California universities made U.S. News ‘Best Global’ list
-
Colorado11 minutes agoPikes Peak or Bust Parade canceled by organizers
-
Connecticut18 minutes agoPerson hospitalized in Westport crash that briefly closed I-95, officials say
-
Delaware21 minutes agoAll lanes open after I-69 closure in Delaware County
-
Florida26 minutes agoPilot program aims to build $200K homes in Central Florida to help low-income families buy, not rent
-
Georgia33 minutes agoGeorgia farmers on alert as New World Screwworm confirmed in Texas, New Mexico
-
Hawaii36 minutes agoPrincipal honors Obama as ‘Child of Hawaii’ at library opening – AsAmNews
