By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Purple and gold reigned supreme at the annual Ohio Valley Conference awards dinner as an avalanche of postseason hardware descended upon on the Tennessee Tech tennis team. Not only did Tech sweep the heavy duty trio of Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Coach of the Year, but a quartet of Golden Eagles were also represented on the all-conference teams, following a tremendous 2016 spring that saw TTU capture its fourth OVC regular season title in the last five years.
Sophomore Eduardo Mena was named Player of the Year, freshman Guillermo Nicolas was recognized as the conference's Freshman of the Year, and Kenny Doyle took home Coach of the Year accolades, his fourth in seven seasons at the helm of the program. Tech's takedown of the OVC's top three honors makes it back-to-back years in which the Golden Eagles have seized all three awards after Doyle earned 2015 Coach of the Year honors, Mena was awarded as last season's Freshman of the Year, and senior Alex Arovin was recognized as the 2015 Player of the Year.
|
|
|
|
|
Mena, Nicolas and junior Alberto Esteban also found themselves on the first-team All-OVC, while Arovin secured a spot on the second team. Esteban and Arovin have now each been on an All-OVC squad for the last three years, helping cement their places among the greats in Tech lore.
Thursday's awards dinner serves as an appetizer for the OVC's main course as the conference's top six teams will tangle in the OVC Tournament over the weekend, vying for an NCAA Tournament berth at Centennial Sportsplex Tennis Center in Nashville. After completing a perfect conference circuit with a 9-0 OVC record, the Golden Eagles earned the tourney's top seed, advancing straight to the semifinals with a first round bye. Tech will play Saturday at 10 a.m. CT, locking up with the winner of Friday's second match between No. 4 Jacksonville State and No. 5 Morehead State.
Eduardo Mena's Player of the Year distinction should come as little surprise after the Bultrago del Lozoya, Spain native steamrolled his way through the spring, posting an 18-1 singles record and an undefeated, 9-0, mark in conference action. Dating back to the fall, Mena has won an eye-popping 31 singles matches, the most ever in program history, surpassing Gernot Fischer (2002) and Ken Large (1996), each of whom claimed 29 singles nods.
Mena, last year's Freshman of the Year recipient, heads into the OVC Tournament on a 12-match heater, and in two years donning the purple and gold, the talented sophomore is 15-1 in conference singles tilts. Tech has now captured 12 Player of the Year honors.
Guillermo Nicolas hoists Freshman of the Year hardware after mowing down the conference competition to the tune of a perfect, 9-0, OVC singles record, and a 7-0 conference doubles mark. Overall, Nicolas went 16-3 in singles play during the spring, and 10-4 in doubles action. The Villanueva de la Canada, Spain native's honor marks the sixth time a TTU athlete has won the Freshman of the Year award since its inception in 2005.
Alberto Esteban continues his conference legacy with a third-straight spot on an All-OVC squad, and second on the first-team, after also securing a place on the 2014 first-team. The Madrid, Spain native posted a 7-2 OVC singles record and went 4-2 in conference doubles action, playing solely out of the top doubles spot. Esteban's premiere OVC doubles campaign pushes the dynamic junior to 11-2 in the last two years in doubles competition.
Last year's conference Player of the Year, Alex Arovin, caps off a brilliant career in the TTU purple and gold with yet another OVC accolade. The 6-foot-1 senior punches his ticket on the All-Conference second team, his third straight all-conference nod after back-to-back first-team reservations. The Donetsk, Ukraine native nears the end of his Tech tenure with a combined 30-6 OVC record, going 16-4 in singles action, and 14-2 in doubles play.
Having already wrapped their 11th regular season championship, and fourth in the last five years, the Golden Eagles will aim for their first conference tournament crown since 2007. Behind earning the No. 1 overall seed, the journey in Nashville begins with semifinals action Saturday morning with Tech set to clash with the winner of No. 4 Jacksonville State and No. 5 Morehead State at 10 a.m. CT. The championship bout is slated for Sunday at 10 a.m.
Pictured above, from left to right:
Eduardo Mena, Guillermo Nicolas, Alberto Esteban, Alex Arovin, and Kenny Doyle
