Noah Rivera

Noah Rivera (born September 27, 2004) is an American tennis player and actor. Exposed to the acting industry at a very young age, Rivera made his debut as an actor in 2015. He is also a NCAA student-athlete and recipient of numerous accolades, including Rookie of the Year, GNAC All-Conference Team, and ITA Scholar-Athlete.
==Personal life==
Rivera attended Byram Hills High School in Armonk, New York. He was the last recruited commit for the University of Saint Joseph (Connecticut) Blue Jays in August 2022. He was ranked the No. 781 national tennis recruit in 2022.
==Tennis career==
===2022: Collegiate singles and doubles debut===
Coming into the program, Noah was the only player representing New York state, since the University of Saint Joseph (Connecticut) was a part of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, a NCAA Division III conference consisting states only from New England. However, Rivera was unaware of the significant impact he’d make on the men’s tennis program.
Rivera’s journey kickstarted when he made his singles and doubles debut against Gordon College (Massachusetts), where he competed both matches for the Blue Jays. With a tough, early loss in doubles, Rivera went into the last match standing in singles. He defeated his opponent with a 6–4, 3–6, 6–4 victory. Unfortunately, USJ still lost their season opener with a result of 3-6.
A week later, Rivera clinched the University of Saint Joseph (Connecticut)’s first win in program history against Clark University. Rivera would then finish his unofficial fall season with a record of 6-2 (3-1 at both singles and doubles) at the #1 singles and doubles spot for the Blue Jays. This only marked the beginning of Rivera's collegiate career, as his momentum would continue into the official spring season with a series of outstanding achievements.
===2023: Making history for USJ men's tennis program===
Leading the Blue Jays to victory past their first ever conference appearance and win against Norwich University, Rivera’s talent was recognized early on as he secured not one, but two consecutive Great Northeast Athletic Conference Player and Rookie of the Week honors. The back-to-back conference player and rookie of the week not only marked his first ever conference accolades, but the first ever accolades in USJ men's tennis program history. Rivera's consistent dominance continued as he played a pivotal role in leading USJ into the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Semifinal, where USJ ended up falling short. Even though it marked the season end for the Blue Jays, Rivera's standout performances did earn him a well-deserved place on the All-Tournament Team and All-Conference Team, solidifying his reputation as a rising star in collegiate tennis for the Great Northeast Athletic Conference.
However, this still wasn’t the end for the first year. Rivera’s impact transcended the tennis court onto his dedication to excellence in the classroom, where he finished his freshman year with a 4.0 cumulative GPA with a double major in Mathematics and Computer Science. Recognized for his outstanding academic achievements, Rivera was named an ITA Scholar-Athlete, a national honor by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association as a testament to his commitment to balancing athletic success with scholarly pursuits.
Furthermore, Noah Rivera's influence within the University of Saint Joseph (Connecticut)’s community was evident as he was honored with the prestigious "USJ Rookie of the Year" award during the university's End of Year Awards Banquet. Earning this honor made history for USJ and the men’s tennis program, which not only set high standards for new coming tennis recruits, but other student-athletes at USJ and beyond. Rivera is also the only tennis player so far in USJ history who has started 100% of matches for the academic year, predominantly at the 1st singles and 1st doubles position.
The following semester, Rivera returned to USJ to compete for another unofficial fall season as a sophomore. He went 2-0 at #1 singles and doubles during USJ’s first win and 9-0 sweep of the season against Western New England University. Unfortunately, this marked his last match as a Blue Jay as well as his run competing for the University of Saint Joseph (Connecticut). Rivera sought out an engineering program, however it was not yet offered at USJ.name=wl_usjeng|Engineering Science became available at the University of Saint Joseph (Connecticut) starting the academic year 2024-25 As Rivera wanted to resolve this feeling of imbalance between academics and athletics, transferring to a new program was the next best move.
===2024: Transferring to New York University (NYU)===
As Rivera’s chapter at the University of Saint Joseph (Connecticut) came to a close, a new chapter awaited him. He was accepted to New York University for the next phase of his academic and athletic endeavors. Pursuing a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rivera returned to New York for the Spring 2024 semester, back where he was born and raised.
In addition, Rivera has been in communication with NYU’s men’s tennis coach since the Fall of 2023, seeking a continuation of his career on the tennis court. Rivera awaits his chance to debut for the NYU Violets.
==Playing style==
Rivera is an all-court tennis player, but roots from an aggressive baseliner. Trained in reference to the "Big Three (tennis)", his forehand gives a great amount of topspin and clearance over the net, and his backhand groundstroke gives less net clearance for down the line shots. His serve is considered the key to his game, as he is often is unpredictable when choosing targets, giving his opponents a troubled start on court. His volleys and serve-and-volleys are reliable on important points.
==Athletic sponsership==
Rivera is a member of Adiplayer by Adidas since 2022. Adiplayer is a community of top tennis players and coaches who receive discounted prices on Adidas products.
==Acting career==
Aside from his talent on court, Rivera is also an actor. Exposed to the acting industry at a very young age by his father Dwayne Rivera, Rivera developed a passion. He made his debut as an actor in 2015, starring in Drifting Song (2017) as an innocent son, unsettled by broken dreams. He is also known for Tango Shalom 2021) and Back in the Day. See Noah Rivera.
Category:American people
Category:American tennis players
Category:Actors
Category:People from White Plains, New York