Bulldogs sweep NEC Men's tennis Major Awards; Kuhar repeats as Player of the Year
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's tennis team swept the three major Northeast Conference postseason awards announced on Wednesday as redshirt junior Matt Kuhar (Smithfield, R.I.) was named the player of the year, freshman Wilson Dong (Bradenton, Fla.) was tabbed rookie of the year and Ron Gendron collected coach of the year honors.
Kuhar has now won NEC Player of the Year honors in each of the last two seasons, while Dong becomes the fifth NEC Rookie of the Year in program history. For Gendron, it is his league-record sixth-straight NEC Coach of the Year recognition.
In addition, the Black and Gold placed three players on the All-NEC Singles First Team, two on the All-NEC Doubles First Team, two on the All-NEC Singles Second Team, four on the All-NEC Doubles Second Team and one on the NEC All-Rookie Team.
Kuhar repeats as NEC Player of the Year after putting together the greatest season for a tennis player in league history. He enters the NCAA Tournament with an overall record of 26-7 and a dual match record of 20-3 this spring. Kuhar went undefeated against league opponents and also picked up victories over Cal's Billy Griffith, Brown, Harvard, Richmond, Navy, Air Force and Buffalo.
He was also named to the All-NEC First Team in singles and was named to All-NEC First Team in doubles with partner junior Artur Jakubowski (Dallas, Texas). Kuhar and Jakubowski enter the NCAA Tournament with a 20-8 overall record and an 18-7 mark in dual matches. The duo has won six-straight matches and is 8-2 in their last 10. For Jakubowski, he has earned All-NEC honors in doubles each of the last two years.
Dong has come on late for the Black and Gold, posting five-straight victories heading into the NCAA Tournament. He is 12-12 overall on the year and clinched Bryant's fifth-straight league title with a victory at No. 6 singles.
Gendron picks up his sixth-straight NEC Coach of the Year honor after leading the Bulldogs to their fifth-straight league title. The Black and Gold have posted a 14-15 overall record and have played one of their toughest schedules in program history. Bryant opened the year with three matches against nationally-ranked opponents and will travel to the University of Texas for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Joining Kuhar on the singles first team is Jakubowski and senior Luke Lorenz (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Jakubowski has played primarily at No. 3 and No. 4, posting an overall record of 16-14 and a 14-9 dual-match record.
Lorenz is now an eight-time all-league honoree after earning first team honors in singles and second team honors in doubles. In singles, Lorenz has played at the No. 2 position and is 19-19 overall and 12-12 in dual matches. The NEC Tournament MVP, Lorenz won all four of his singles and doubles matches during last week's league tournament. Lorenz's second team doubles honor comes after he and freshman Grant Pertile (Edgartown, Mass.) posted a 17-5 record during the year.
Senior Jorge Ortiz-Garcia (Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico) and junior Michael Plutt (Weston, Fla.) were named to the Second Team All-NEC singles team. Ortiz-Garcia was an NEC All-Tournament Team selection and enters the NCAA Tournament with five-straight victories and an overall record of 13-8.
Plutt returned to form after missing the fall traveling abroad. He enters the NCAA Tournament with a 6-4 record this spring, winning each of his last four matches.
In doubles, Ortiz-Garcia and younger brother Jorge Isaias Ortiz-Garcia (Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico) were named to the second team. The brothers have posted a 13-14 overall record and a 6-10 mark this spring.