Pac-12 men's tennis all-Conference honors announced
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - The Pac-12 Conference announced its postseason Men’s Tennis All-Conference awards today. Individually, USC’s Yannick Hanfmann was tabbed Pac-12 Men’s Tennis Singles Player of the Year, while UCLA’s Mackenzie McDonald was voted Freshman/Newcomer of the Year. The duo of Hanfmann and Ray Sarmiento was named Doubles Team of the Year. UCLA head coach Billy Martin was voted Pac-12 Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year.
The Pac-12 Men’s Tennis All-Conference teams consist of a six member first team and a six member second team. Players who are nominated for the All-Conference team, but are not selected are accorded honorable mention status. The teams are voted upon by the Conference’s eight head coaches.
ALL-PAC-12 TEAMS
First Team
Marcos Giron, Jr., UCLA *
Yannick Hanfmann, Jr., USC *
Ben McLachlan, Sr., California
Ray Sarmiento, Sr., USC
Clay Thompson, Sr., UCLA *
Roberto Quiroz, Jr., USC
* unanimous selection
Second Team
Gage Brymer, Fr., UCLA
Robin Cambier, Sr., Oregon
Emmett Egger, Jr., Washington
Slim Hamza, Jr., Utah
Mackenzie McDonald, Fr., UCLA
John Morrissey, Jr., Stanford
Honorable Mention: Max DeVroome, So., USC; Kevin Farin, So., Oregon; Andre Goransson, Fr., California; Campbell Johnson, Sr., California; Eric Johnson, Jr., USC; Karue Sell, So., UCLA.
Singles Player of the Year: Yannick Hanfmann, Jr., USC
Hanfmann, a native of Karlsruhe, Germany, was twice named Pac-12 Men’s Tennis Player of the Week this season as he helped the Trojans to an NCAA title, its fifth in the past six seasons and 100th for USC overall, in addition to an undefeated Pac-12 regular season. He holds a 20-5 overall singles record this year to date, and is ranked 10th in the nation individually entering the NCAA Championships. Hanfmann has eight wins over nationally ranked opponents this season, including upsets over the top two ranked players in the ITA standings (No. 1 Clay Thompson and No. 2 Marcos Giron, both of UCLA). In the fall, Hanfmann clinched the 2013 USTA/ITA Division I Men’s Southwest Regional Championship title, defeating No. 28 Alex Sarkissian of Pepperdine for the championship.
Freshman/Newcomer of the Year: Mackenzie McDonald, UCLA
A freshman for the Bruins, McDonald posted a 27-8 overall record in singles play, helping the Bruins to a 22-3 record with a 6-1 mark in Pac-12 play, finishing the season with an upset against the top-ranked Trojans to capture the Pac-12 Men’s Tennis Tournament title. McDonald holds a 4-7 record against nationally ranked opponents and a 15-4 record in dual matches. The freshman also competed in the Sherwood Collegiate Cup earlier this year, reaching the semifinals.
Doubles Team of the Year: Yannick Hanfmann/Ray Sarmiento, USC
The top-seeded pair in this year’s NCAA Doubles Championships, Hanfmann and Sarmiento boast a 13-2 overall record together this year. The duo have been ranked No. 1 in the nation all season, recording six victories over doubles teams in the top 10 of the ITA rankings including then-No. 2 Mikelis LIbietis and Hunter Reese of Tennessee, their highest-ranked opponent this season. Their only two losses came to then-No. 3 Ohio State, and then-No. 5 UCLA in the Pac-12 Tournament.
Coach of the Year: Billy Martin, UCLA
In his 21st year as head coach, Martin receives his second-consecutive outright and third-consecutive overall Coach of the Year title after guiding the Bruins to the Pac-12 Men’s Tennis Tournament championship in Ojai, Calif., knocking off the top-seeded USC Trojans in the process. Martin’s Bruins finished the season 22-3 with a 6-1 mark in Conference matches, with 15 dual match victories over nationally-ranked opponents. UCLA enters the NCAA Championships seeded sixth overall in the bracket.