Fries Named A-10 Freshman of the Year, Four ‘Cats Honored
5/15/2017 4:47:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Gavin McFarlin - Associate SID
2017 A-10 Award Winners & All-Conference / All-Academic Teams (pdf)
DavidsonPhotos.com
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — After having one of the best first years in program history, Davidson freshman Axel Fries was named the 2017 Atlantic 10 Men's Tennis Most Outstanding Rookie Performer, as the league announced its all-conference and academic teams Monday afternoon.
In addition to being the top freshman, Fries was also named to the A-10 All-Second Team, joining junior David Hager, who earned his first-ever postseason honor. For the third consecutive year, Shamael Chaudhry was named to the league's first team, while senior J.B. Gough was one of six players to earn a spot on the all-academic team, the first Wildcat to earn the honor in their three years in the league.
The quartet led Davidson to one of its best years in recent history by finishing the season 16-8 with a 4-2 A-10 record. The 16 wins were the most in the regular season since 1994 when they had 16 as well. The 'Cats had 18 overall in 1998, earning three of those victories in the Southern Conference Tournament.
A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Fries was a five-time A-10 Rookie of the Week this season. He combined for 33 singles and doubles wins, going a team-best 18-5 in singles play at No. 3-5 positions. The freshman, who got eight wins each at No. 3 and 5 positions, respectively, ran off a team season-high 12-match win streak. It tied the streak that Artem Khrapko rattled off in 2015.
Fries teamed up with Gough at No. 1 doubles and were one of the best in the A-10, going a team-best 15-6 with a 5-1 mark in league matches. The duo had a team-high eight-match winning streak in the middle of the season.
Gough had a solid senior campaign, going a career-best 14-6 in singles play with nine of those wins coming at No. 4. He finished his career with 43 wins in 76 matches and his 15 victories in doubles action doubled his career total to give him 30.
The senior from Beverly, Mass., also excelled in the classroom by carrying a grade point average above 3.5 and majoring in economics. He is a five-time A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll honoree.
The junior tandem of Chaudhry and Hager anchored the Wildcats' top two singles slots during the season. Chaudhry, a native of Walsall, United Kingdom, matched his personal best with 12 singles wins at No. 1 to give him 33 career victories. In addition, the junior set a career high with 12 doubles victories, as he got seven of them with partner Jack Riazzi at No. 2.
A steady contributor during his first two years, Hager had a career year by going 16-7 in singles to finish second on the team in wins at No. 2. He opened the Spring season by winning his first seven straight matches to set a personal best. The 16 wins pushed his career record to an impressive 41-17 overall. The junior added another six wins in doubles action, teaming with Chaudhry at No. 2 to get half of those wins.
A native of Edmond, Okla., Hager earned Davidson's lone A-10 Player of the Week honor, which gave him his fourth career weekly honor. He also has been named to the Commissioner's Honor Roll three times.
Richmond's Jacob Dunbar and head coach Ben Johnson were tabbed the A-10 Most Outstanding Performer and Coach of the Year, respectively, following a vote by the league's 12 head coaches.
DavidsonPhotos.com
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — After having one of the best first years in program history, Davidson freshman Axel Fries was named the 2017 Atlantic 10 Men's Tennis Most Outstanding Rookie Performer, as the league announced its all-conference and academic teams Monday afternoon.
In addition to being the top freshman, Fries was also named to the A-10 All-Second Team, joining junior David Hager, who earned his first-ever postseason honor. For the third consecutive year, Shamael Chaudhry was named to the league's first team, while senior J.B. Gough was one of six players to earn a spot on the all-academic team, the first Wildcat to earn the honor in their three years in the league.
The quartet led Davidson to one of its best years in recent history by finishing the season 16-8 with a 4-2 A-10 record. The 16 wins were the most in the regular season since 1994 when they had 16 as well. The 'Cats had 18 overall in 1998, earning three of those victories in the Southern Conference Tournament.
A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Fries was a five-time A-10 Rookie of the Week this season. He combined for 33 singles and doubles wins, going a team-best 18-5 in singles play at No. 3-5 positions. The freshman, who got eight wins each at No. 3 and 5 positions, respectively, ran off a team season-high 12-match win streak. It tied the streak that Artem Khrapko rattled off in 2015.
Fries teamed up with Gough at No. 1 doubles and were one of the best in the A-10, going a team-best 15-6 with a 5-1 mark in league matches. The duo had a team-high eight-match winning streak in the middle of the season.
Gough had a solid senior campaign, going a career-best 14-6 in singles play with nine of those wins coming at No. 4. He finished his career with 43 wins in 76 matches and his 15 victories in doubles action doubled his career total to give him 30.
The senior from Beverly, Mass., also excelled in the classroom by carrying a grade point average above 3.5 and majoring in economics. He is a five-time A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll honoree.
The junior tandem of Chaudhry and Hager anchored the Wildcats' top two singles slots during the season. Chaudhry, a native of Walsall, United Kingdom, matched his personal best with 12 singles wins at No. 1 to give him 33 career victories. In addition, the junior set a career high with 12 doubles victories, as he got seven of them with partner Jack Riazzi at No. 2.
A steady contributor during his first two years, Hager had a career year by going 16-7 in singles to finish second on the team in wins at No. 2. He opened the Spring season by winning his first seven straight matches to set a personal best. The 16 wins pushed his career record to an impressive 41-17 overall. The junior added another six wins in doubles action, teaming with Chaudhry at No. 2 to get half of those wins.
A native of Edmond, Okla., Hager earned Davidson's lone A-10 Player of the Week honor, which gave him his fourth career weekly honor. He also has been named to the Commissioner's Honor Roll three times.
Richmond's Jacob Dunbar and head coach Ben Johnson were tabbed the A-10 Most Outstanding Performer and Coach of the Year, respectively, following a vote by the league's 12 head coaches.
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