April 28, 2016
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Two members of the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team received 2016 Southeastern Conference accolades Thursday afternoon, as announced by the conference office.
Sophomore Daniel Valent holds a position on the First Team All-SEC. Freshman Cameron Klinger was voted onto both the Second Team All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman team. Voting is done by the head coaches of all 13 SEC men’s tennis programs, with no coach allowed to vote for his own player.
“I’m really happy for Danny making First-Team All-SEC”, said head coach Ian Duvenhage. “He’s had his ups and downs this season. I probably could have told him that it was coming… you move from No. 3 to No. 1 in this league is a big step in this league… you’re going to take your lumps, but I’m really happy for him. For Cam, he deserves this honor and I’m glad that he made the All-Freshman team also.”
This is the second year in a row that the Commodores have landed student-athletes on all three teams.
A native of Zurich, Switzerland, Valent played the entire season at the No. 1 singles spot as a sophomore and earned a career-high ranking of No. 34 in the nation. Boasting a 60-20 overall singles record and three-top 25 victories, Valent brought stability to the upper portion of the Commodore lineup all while clinching four Vanderbilt victories.
Klinger is one of the highest ranked freshmen in tennis history, already in the top-15 in the Oracle/ITA rankings doubles rankings at No. 12. Alongside 2015 All-American, Rhys Johnson, the duo defeated six ranked team, clinched a team-high nine doubles points and individually earned a 8-2 (5-2) record at No. 3 singles.
“I am disappointed that Rhys (Johnson) didn’t make it. Especially give the fact that he is very much our leader this year, and a lot of what we’ve been able to accomplish late in the season is due to his and Kris’ leadership. So It’s a little bittersweet. I’m happy for those guys, but feel bad for Rhys. Now we’re just looking forward to continuing in the postseason.”
A complete list of the awards follows.
First Team All-SEC
Mike Redlicki, Arkansas
Diego Hidalgo, Florida
Elliott Orkin, Florida
Gordon Watson, Florida
Wayne Montgomery, Georgia
Austin Smith, Georgia
William Bushamuka, Kentucky
Gustav Hansson, Ole Miss
Mate Cutura, Mississippi State
Arthur Rinderknech, Texas A&M
Shane Vinsant, Texas A&M
Daniel Valent, Vanderbilt
Second Team All-SEC
Korey Lovett, Alabama
Mazen Osama, Alabama
Jose Salazar, Arkansas
Alfredo Perez, Florida
Paul Oosterbaan, Georgia
Ryotaro Matsumura, Kentucky
Justin Butsch, LSU
Jordan Daigle, LSU
Stefan Lindmark, Ole Miss
Rishab Agarwal, Mississippi State
Nuno Borges, Mississippi State
Gabriel Friedrich, South Carolina
Luis Valero, Tennessee
Cameron Klinger, Vanderbilt
All-Freshman
Alfredo Perez, Florida
Walker Duncan, Georgia
Nuno Borges, Mississippi State
Mazen Osama, Alabama
Ryotaro Matsumura, Kentucky
Cameron Klinger, Vanderbilt
Player of the Year: Diego Hidalgo, Florida
Co-Freshman of the Year: Alfredo Perez, Florida/Ryotara Matsumura, Kentucky
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Rishab Agarwal, Mississippi State
Coach of the Year: Bryan Shelton, Florida