2016 Conference Carolinas Men's Tennis All-Conference and Major Awards Announced
HIGH POINT, N.C. – North Greenville University's Sjors van Eck was named the 2016 Conference Carolinas Men's Tennis Player of the Year, while Limestone College's Guillermo Ortega garnered Freshman of the Year honors. Pfeiffer University mentor Kent Whitener earned Coach of the Year, the Conference announced today.
A junior from Ospel, Netherlands, van Eck is the first Conference Carolinas Player of the Year for the North Greenville tennis program. van Eck racked up a perfect individual record in league play, as he finished the regular season 10-0. He split time between three doubles positions and finished 5-5 for the Crusaders.
Ortega, a freshman out of Caracas, Venezuela, made his presence known in Conference Carolinas racking up a 9-1 record in conference singles play throughout the season. In doubles play, Ortega also registered a 9-1 record. He primarily played the No. 4 singles flight, tallying a 7-1 record, while holding a 7-1 record in the No. 2 doubles spot.
In his first season at the helm, Pfeiffer's Kent Whitner guided the men's team to a perfect 9-0 finish in Conference Carolinas action. Whitner took over a team that finished fourth in the league a season ago and led them to a regular season championship. The Falcons won 61 of 81 sets on the season and had four Conference Carolinas Player of the Week awards.
All-Conference Carolinas First Team
Sjors van Eck, North Greenville
Moritz Poswiat, King
Luis Delgado, King
Nils Hoffacker, Pfeiffer
Gustavo D'Ascenzi, Limestone
Stefano Soares, Limestone
All-Conference Carolinas Second Team
James Delaney, Belmont Abbey
Juan Baez, Belmont Abbey
Guillermo Ortega, Limestone
Axel Woerner, Pfeiffer
Martim Sousa, Mount Olive
Oscar Von Koch, Pfeiffer
All-Conference Carolinas Third Team
Jose Cortijos, Mount Olive
Bjoern Barwinski, Pfeiffer
Rafael Ruiz Velasco, Barton
Yaxi Pintado, Barton
Lennard Keswani, King
Benji Lascari, Limestone
Player of the Year
Sjors van Eck, North Greenville
Freshman of the Year
Guillermo Ortega, Limestone
Coach of the Year
Kent Whitener, Pfeiffer
Regular Season Men's Tennis Champion
Pfeiffer University
Conference Carolinas is a NCAA Division II athletics conference made up of 12 teams from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. These institutions consist of: Barton College, Belmont Abbey College, Converse College, Emmanuel College, Erskine College, King University, Lees-McRae College, Limestone College, University of Mount Olive, North Greenville University, Pfeiffer University, and Southern Wesleyan University. Emmanuel College and Southern Wesleyan University are currently completing the NCAA DII membership process and will be fully competing in league championships in the near future.