April 23, 2015
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Two members of the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team received 2015 Southeastern Conference accolades Thursday afternoon, as announced by the conference office.
Senior Gonzales Austin is the 2015 SEC Player of the Year and holds a position on the First Team All-SEC. Freshman Daniel Valent was voted on both the Second Team All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman team.
Georgia’s Wayne Montgomery is the SEC Freshman of the Year; as he went undefeated in the No. 2 spot of the Bulldog singles lineup. South Carolina senior Kyle Koch was named the league’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Voting for each honor was conducted by all 13 of the leagues head coaches previously this week. This season’s 2015 Coach of the Year award was presented to the Aggie’s Steve Denton.
“I’m very very happy AJ earned Player of the Year”, said head coach Ian Duvenhage. “Clearly he deserved it and I was a little bit uptight because anytime it’s up to a vote you just never know how it’s going to come out. With the best record in the SEC, the highest ranked player in the SEC, and the best dual match record in the SEC I felt that he clearly deserved it, but I was a bit nervous. I’m really happy for him and he’s earned it. I also think that with him it’s not just about the stuff he did on the court and the win and loss record… for four years he’s just been a pleasure to coach. He’s a good kid and that makes it all that much more special.”
Gonzales Austin has been voted the 2015 SEC Player of the Year. The Miami native is the second Commodore to ever earn this outstanding achievement, with Vandy legend Bobby Reynolds first collecting the award in 2003.
“I just want to say that it’s truly an honor to be the SEC Player of the Year”, said Austin. “First and foremost I’d like to thank my teammates and coaches. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have pushed myself as hard. They push me every day at practice to get better and to reach higher. Without them I wouldn’t have been able to have the success I’ve had so far this year.”
In one of the most prolific careers of any Commodore, “AJ” currently boasts a record-high 107 victories. With only 42 losses to his name, the senior has won 72% of his matches for the Black and Gold. This season alone, Austin has garnered a 20-2 record at No. 1 singles with both losses coming in tough conference action. Currently ranked No. 8 by the ITA, Austin has consistently led all athletes in the SEC, as the highest ranked player this entire season.
The senior’s accolades continue into doubles action, where he and partner Rhys Johnson have only six losses to their name. The duo, currently No. 6 in the country, sat atop the ITA polls as the No. 1 tandem in the nation for over a month.
“There’s a lot of great players in the SEC, it’s such a talented conference. For the other coaches to have recognized me as one of the best… I’m really grateful for that.”
For his hard work ethic and singles success, freshman Daniel Valent earns positions on both the Second Team All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman Team. With a record of 19-3 singles slate the Zurich, Switzerland native has added support at the No. 3 spot, going undefeated against ranked opponents and knocking off several top competitors in the conference.
“I think Danny deserved his honors also. He’s had a terrific year with a 19-3 record. This is a tribute to all the hard work he’s put in this year. So I’m glad he’s on the Second Team All-SEC and All-Freshman team.”
The No. 24 Vanderbilt Commodores will await the announcement of the NCAA regional sites on April 28th, with seeding begin aired online at 4:30 pm CT.
 Honors:
Player of the Year: Gonzales Austin, Vanderbilt
Freshman of the Year: Wayne Montgomery, Georgia
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Kyle Koch, South Carolina
Coach of the Year: Steve Denton, Texas A&M
First Team All-SEC
Lukas Ollert, Auburn
Diego Hidalgo, Florida
Ben Wagland, Georgia
Austin Smith, Georgia
Nathan Pasha, Georgia
Wayne Montgomery, Georgia
Jordan Daigle, LSU
Stefan Lindmark, Ole Miss
Nik Scholtz, Ole Miss
Florian Lakat, Mississippi State
Mikelis Libietis, Tennessee
Jeremy Efferding, Texas A&M
Gonzales Austin, Vanderbilt
Second Team All-SEC
Giammarco Micolani, Arkansas
Elliott Orkin, Florida
Beck Pennington, Kentucky
Chris Simpson, LSU
Gustav Hansson, Ole Miss
Rishab Agarwal, Mississippi State
Mate Cutura, Mississippi State
Juan Cruz Estevarena, Mississippi State
Kyle Koch, South Carolina
AJ Catanzariti, Texas A&M
Arthur Rinderknech, Texas A&M
Shane Vinsant, Texas A&M
Daniel Valent, Vanderbilt
All-Freshman
Korey Lovett, Alabama
Chase Perez-Blanco, Florida
Wayne Montgomery, Georgia
Gustav Hansson, Ole Miss
Juan Cruz Estevarena, Mississippi State
AJ Catanzariti, Texas A&M
Arthur Rinderknech, Texas A&M
Daniel Valent, Vanderbilt