FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Regular Season Champion Penmen Lead the Way With Five First-Team Selections
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Following a perfect 9-0 mark in Northeast-10 Conference singles action, Southern New Hampshire's Tiago Fernandes, pictured, has once again been named the Vern Cox Men's Tennis Player of the Year, as the conference office announced its all-conference teams and major award winners for the 2017-18 season. It's the second consecutive year that Fernandes has been honored with the award.
For a complete list of all-conference members and award winners, please see below. Southern New Hampshire had the most student-athletes on the All-Conference First Team with five overall, while a pair of Merrimack doubles teams both earned first team recognition. Remarkably, SNHU student-athletes received first team accolades at singles spots one through five.
Fernandes posted a perfect 9-0 mark at top flight singles in conference play, going undefeated against top NE10 competition. The senior was also a First Team All-Conference choice at No. 1 singles, and helped lead the Penmen to the regular season championship for the third straight season. Fernandes also combined with teammate Jeremy Reichentahl to earn Second Team All-Conference laurels at second-flight doubles as well.
Franklin Pierce's Roberto Chong was selected as the NE10 Rookie of the Year, as voted upon by the league's head coaches. Chong put forth an outstanding first season in helping lead the Ravens to the postseason, posting a 6-3 record at No. 1 singles during his first year in the NE10. He also earned Third Team All-Conference at top-flight singles. He was also named to the NE10 All-Rookie Team.
Le Moyne's Jeff Lonczak was honored as the NE10 Coach of the Year by his peers. Lonczak led the Dolphins to the most successful season in program history as they finished the regular season 7-2 in conference play to earn the three seed and 12-4 overall. Le Moyne is currently in the midst of a 10-match winning streak, and with their win yesterday afternoon in the first round of the NE10 Championship advanced the Dolphins to the conference semifinals for the first time in program history.
The Vern Cox Player of the Year Award is named in honor of former longtime Springfield College head coach Vern Cox.
Vern Cox Player of the Year: Tiago Fernandes, SNHU
Rookie of the Year: Roberto Chong, Franklin Pierce
Coach of the Year: Jeff Lonczak, Le Moyne
2018 NE10 Men's Tennis All-Conference
First Team
No. 1 Singles – Tiago Fernandes, SNHU
No. 2 Singles – Ricardo Marreiros, SNHU
No. 3 Singles – Miguel Marreiros, SNHU
No. 4 Singles – Xavier Aubron, SNHU
No. 5 Singles – Bas van Biezen, SNHU
No. 6 Singles – Connor Aulson, Bentley
No. 1 Doubles – Mikhail Belov & Frank Vega, Merrimack
No. 2 Doubles – Denis Davydov & Alex Fedorov, Merrimack
No. 3 Doubles – Xavier Graells & Tyler Underwood, Le Moyne
Second Team
No. 1 Singles – Matteo Cannavera, Adelphi / Mikhail Belov, Merrimack
No. 2 Singles – James Bisazza, Franklin Pierce
No. 3 Singles – Alex Fedorov, Merrimack
No. 4 Singles – Jason Barton, Le Moyne
No. 5 Singles – Michael Fuca, Bentley
No. 6 Singles – Paul Weidinger, Merrimack
No. 1 Doubles – Xavier Aubron & Bas van Biezen, SNHU
No. 2 Doubles – Andres Hernandez & Jason Barton, Le Moyne
No. 3 Doubles – Tiago Fernandes & Jeremy Reichentahl, SNHU
Third Team
No. 1 Singles – Roberto Chong, Franklin Pierce
No. 2 Singles – Andres Hernandez, Le Moyne / Denis Davydov, Merrimack
No. 3 Singles – Xavier Graells, Le Moyne
No. 4 Singles – Frank Vega, Merrimack
No. 5 Singles – Hallam Doney, Le Moyne
No. 6 Singles – Christian Erickson, Le Moyne
No. 1 Doubles – Philip Blythe & Hallam Doney, Le Moyne
No. 2 Doubles – Michael Fuca & Brett Gilman, Bentley
No. 3 Doubles – Tom Buckley & Nikolay Lisichenok, Stonehill
2018 NE10 All-Rookie Team
Luke Attride-Stirling, Adelphi
Max Francis, Assumption
Connor Aulson, Bentley
Daniel Weitz, Bentley
Roberto Chong, Franklin Pierce
Christian Erickson, Le Moyne
Trent Newman, Stonehill
Russell White, Stonehill
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 student-athletes compete in conference championships, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.