George Washington University Athletics
GW Men's Tennis Grabs Eight A-10 Postseason Awards
4/25/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Interim head coach Torrie Browning was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, headlining the George Washington men's tennis team's eight All-Conference awards, the league announced on Monday.
Senior Danil Zelenkov earns his fourth straight First Team nod, while junior Julius Tverijonas was named to the First Team for the second time in his career. Sophomore Chris Reynolds received his first postseason award as a First Team selection, while senior Cahit Kapukiran and sophomore Chris Fletcher both earn their second career postseason honors as members of the All-Conference Second Team.
In addition, both Tverijonas and Zelenkov earned a spot on the A-10 All-Academic Team for the second and third time, respectively.
Browning took over as interim head coach in February after serving as associate head coach since the 2014-15 season and led the Colonials to the program's third consecutive Atlantic 10 championship in 2016. GW claimed the league crown for the fifth time in the last six seasons last Sunday, beating VCU in the final for the third year in a row. Browning's squad posted a 14-8 dual match record, including a perfect 6-0 mark against conference opponents, and is slated to compete in the first round of the NCAA Team Championship in May.
"It's a great honor to be named Coach of the Year," said Browning. "This honor is truly a result of the team and staff. As a team and coaching staff we won this award together. This is their award as much as it is mine. None of the success this year would have been possible without my assistant coach, Rafael Aita, our strength and conditioning coach Chaz Berry and the athletics department's support. It's been great to work with this team all year, and I'm just lucky enough to be in the position I'm in with this program."
Zelenkov ranked second on the squad with 19 singles wins and an overall 19-9 solo mark this year, posting a 13-6 record in dual match action while playing at the Nos. 2-3 positions. The Skopje, Macedonia, native clinched A-10 Championship quarterfinal and semifinal matches this season and will enter NCAA play with a 77-40 career singles mark. In the classroom, Zelenkov owns a 3.91 GPA and has twice received an Outstanding Academic Achievement Award from the Elliot School of International Affairs. He earned a spot on both the GW Athletics Academic Dean's List and A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll last semester.
"Danil has been solid all year and over the course of entire career at GW," said Browning. "He deserves his All-Conference honors. He's battled an injury all season long and I'm just really proud his ability to persevere through it, especially in his senior year."
Tverijonas posted an overall 18-12 solo mark this season with a 10-9 record in dual match play. The product of Siauliai, Lithuania, played exclusively a the top singles position this spring. The junior finance major owns a 3.80 GPA, landing on both the GW Athletics Academic Dean's List and A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll last semester.
"Julius worked extremely hard this year and earned playing at the #1 spot," said Browning. "He's such a great competitor and fighter on court. He embraces pressure situations in matches, and that's why he's played in the top spot. The season he has had clearly shows why he is one of the best players in this conference."
As a duo, Tverijonas and Zelenkov paired as GW's top tandem, posting an overall 21-3 mark this year, including a perfect 10-0 this spring in regular-season action.
Reynolds earns his first postseason honor after a breakout sophomore campaign that saw the Surrey, England, native lead the team with an overall 20-9 singles mark, including a 5-0 record against A-10 opponents. Reynolds was key to GW's postseason success, grabbing solo wins in the A-10 semifinal and championship matches in third-flight action. In doubles play, the sophomore tallied an overall 19-11 record with Kapukiran, competing primarily at the No. 3 position in dual match play.
"It's great to see Chris Reynolds make the First Team," said Browning. "With all of the hard work he's put in this year, it's well deserved. He has really risen his level and that's all due to his work ethic, great attitude, and leadership. He will only continue to improve and get better. He has great potential in the years to come."
Kapukiran posted a strong season in his second year as a Colonial, recording an overall 14-10 solo mark and a 10-6 record in dual match play, including a 4-1 mark against A-10 foes, while competing at the Nos. 5-6 positions. The senior went 2-0 in A-10 Championship play and clinched the squad's conference crown with his three-set come-from-behind triumph in singles action. The product of Izmir, Turkey, paired with Reynolds for an impressive 19-11 overall doubles record.
"Cahit is a great fighter and competitor on the court," said Browning. "He put everything he has into matches and the team. He clinched the match against VCU for us to win it all - he embraces pressure situations like no one I have ever seen. It's great to see him on an All-Conference team his senior year."
Fletcher finished his season with an overall 10-16 singles mark while competing at the Nos. 3-5 spots this spring and an 11-12 record in doubles action. The Ontario, Canada, native came up big in postseason doubles play, winning his third-flight match in both the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds to help the Colonials secure the crucial doubles point.
"Chris Fletcher has really improved these past two years," said Browning. "He has great potential and I see such a huge upside for him in the years to come. He has a big game that came through this year in matches. He has worked hard, and it's great to see him receive All-Conference honors."
The Colonials' eight awards is the most of any squad in the league.
Players Mentioned
