Pac-12 announces men's tennis 2018 All-Conference honors

UCLA’S MARTIN REDLICKI VOTED SINGLES PLAYER OF THE YEAR
UCLA’S MARTIN REDLICKI AND EVAN ZHU TABBED DOUBLES TEAM OF THE YEAR
UCLA’S KEEGAN SMITH  NAMED FRESHMAN/NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
UCLA’S BILLY MARTIN VOTED COACH OF THE YEAR

SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 Conference announced today the Pac-12 men’s tennis honors and All-Conference teams for the 2018 season, as determined by a polling of the Conference coaches. Pac-12 men’s regular season and tournament champion UCLA swept all four individual awards. Martin Redlicki was voted Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year and part of the Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year with teammate Evan Zhu. Keegan Smith was tabbed Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year and Billy Martin was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year.

Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year - Martin Redlicki, Sr., UCLA (Boca Raton, Fla.)
Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Redlicki was voted Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year after consistently being the No. 1 singles player in the ITA National rankings. Redlicki posted a 29-7 (16-4 dual) singles record this season, amassing 114-32 singles wins and 93-28 doubles victories during his career at UCLA. Redlicki helped UCLA win the Pac-12 Tournament title clinching the doubles point on Court 1 and a singles-match win on the top court. He went on to compete in the NCAA Singles Championship where he went 3-1 and reached the semifinals match. Redlicki collects his fourth All-Pac-12 selection, second singles All-American honor (2017, 2018) and third doubles All-American nod (2016-18) since starting as a freshman when he was named ITA Rookie of the Year in 2015.

Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year – Keegan Smith, Fr., UCLA (San Diego, Calif.)
Smith is tabbed Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year after leading UCLA to a Conference title and advancing to the semifinal of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Smith made a remarkable impact on the Bruins posting a 40-7 (25-2 dual) overall singles record on No. 3 Court in his rookie campaign. He went 21-15 (13-9 dual) on doubles No. 2 Court for most of the season and 18-10 with teammate Austin Rapp with the duo going 7-4 against nationally-ranked opponents. The pair entered the postseason journey on an 11-match winning streak and fought through to the semifinal match where they fell to Ohio State in three sets. Season highlights include upsets over USC’s No. 9-ranked team of Jack Jaede and Laurens Verboven, No. 6 Texas A&M, No. 11 Vanderbilt and No. 2 North Carolina in the NCAA quarterfinals. Smith and Rapped earned ITA All-America doubles honors for their outstanding season.

Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year – Martin Redlicki, Sr., UCLA (Boca Raton, Fla.) and Evan Zhu, So., UCLA (Irvine, Calif.)
Redlicki and Evan Zhu were tabbed the Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year for the second-straight season as the pair won the NCAA Men’s Tennis Doubles title. The tandem posted a 23-5 (18-5 dual) record this season and went 7-1 against nationally-ranked opponents. The national championship crown represents the second for Redlicki, who teamed with Mackenzie McDonald for the 2016 crown and joins Bob Perry (1953, 1954) and Ian Crookenden (1965, 1966) as the only two-time Bruin champions. As a sophomore, Zhu is on track to join the elite company with two more opportunities in the future. At the Pac-12 Tournament, Redlicki and Zhu clinched the doubles point on the top court, knocking off USC’s No. 9-ranked pair (7-5). The Brunis’ duo jumped 24 spots and finished the season at No. 5 in the ITA national rankings and recorded their second-straight ITA All-American doubles honors.  

Pac-12 Coach of the Year – Billy Martin, UCLA
Martin has been named Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the fifth time (1996, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018) in his 25-year career as head coach of the UCLA Bruins. After an incredible 30-3 overall record and undefeated 8-0 league mark in 2018, Martin boasts an overall career record of 576-120 (.827). Martin led the Bruins to their fourth Pac-12 title in the last seven years with an exciting 4-1 victory over No. 3-seed USC. Under Martin's direction, UCLA has captured 13 Conference titles, including four in a row from 2004-07, adding to the programs 41 total all-time. UCLA received the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship for its 42nd-consecutive postseason trip and reached the semifinals match. 

Honorable Mention: Max Cressy, UCLA; Eric Fomba, STAN; Jack Jaede, USC; Igor Karpovets, ARIZ; Dan Little, UTAH; Lauren Verboven, USC.