The Sun Conference Announces Tennis All-Conference Accolades
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The All-Conference teams for men’s and women’s tennis were announced at The Sun Conference 2009 tennis tournament banquet, hosted by Embry-Riddle at the Sunset Harbor Yacht Club on Thursday evening. Savannah College of Art and Design led the way on the women’s side with four selections, while Embry-Riddle placed four on the men’s All-Conference roster.
The Eagles and the Bees also split the individual awards with each team having a Coach of the Year and a Player of the Year.
For the second year in a row, women’s tennis Player of the Year honors went to Embry-Riddle junior Natasa Zoricic. Zoricic carries a 17-9 record into postseason play, with four of those wins coming in conference action.
Top honors on the men’s side went to SCAD’s Jan Menzen. Ranked third in the latest ITA/NAIA national singles poll, Menzen leads the Bees with a 13-2 recorded and went undefeated in league play at 5-0.
Chuck Keenan earned Women’s Coach of the Year honors for the fourth time in as many seasons as SCAD captured its fourth straight conference regular season crown. The Bees went 5-0 in league play and enter the tournament with an 8-2 record and a No. 5 rating in the NAIA national poll.
For the fifth straight year, ERAU’s Dave Paschal garnered Men’s Coach of the Year honors after leading his Eagle squad to a perfect 5-0 mark in The Sun Conference competition. The Eagles have maintained a No. 3 ranking in the national polls throughout the season and are currently 14-2 overall.
Competition in The Sun Conference tournament begins at 9 a.m. on Friday at Embry-Riddle’s Crotty Tennis Complex with SCAD taking on St. Thomas in both men’s and women’s action. The women get underway at 9 a.m. followed by the men at 11 a.m.
Afternoon competition features the Embry-Riddle women against Northwood at 2 p.m. and the Embry-Riddle men against Webber International at 4:30 p.m. The tournament champions receive automatic bids to the NAIA National Championships in Mobile, Ala., May 12-16.
Women’s All-Conference Team
Hana Im Embry-Riddle
Natasa Zoricic Embry-Riddle
Fiorella Moggia Northwood
Mikaela Seger Northwood
Hilary Collins Savannah College of Art and Design
Irina Pljusznyin Savannah College of Art and Design
Romina Mrochen Savannah College of Art and Design
Player of the Year
Natasa Zoricic, Embry-Riddle
Coach of the Year
Chuck Keenan, Savannah College of Art and Design
Men’s All-Conference Team
Carlos Bes Comeras Embry-Riddle
Jan Hoekzema Embry-Riddle
Adrian Bayh Embry-Riddle
Peter Francis Embry-Riddle
Jan Menzen Savannah College of Art and Design
Felix Missal Savannah College of Art and Design
Dumitru Chiriacov Savannah College of Art and Design
Player of the Year
Jan Menzen, Savannah College of Art and Design
Coach of the Year
Dave Paschal, Embry-Riddle