Five Eagles Named to Men's Tennis All-America Roster
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – For the second straight year, the Embry-Riddle men’s team was well represented on the national stage as five individuals were named to the NAIA All-America roster, which was released on Saturday. Jan Hoekzema and Peter Francis were tabbed as first team selections, while Istvan Bolgar and Charlie Rice were named to the second team. In addition, Luke Maricic received honorable mention All-America recognition.
Hoekzema moved up to the No. 1 position in the Eagles line-up in 2010 and led the Blue and Gold to the program’s sixth straight conference regular season and tournament titles. He was a perfect 3-0 in conference play to earn first team All-Conference honors and finished with an even 11-11 singles record and a 24-10 mark in doubles. He also got the job done in the classroom and his 3.67 GPA in Aviation Business Administration earned him NAIA All-America Scholar Athlete honors.
Francis split his playing time between the second and third singles positions and finished with a 19-12 record in his sophomore campaign. He joined Hoekzema on the All-Conference first team with a 3-1 conference mark. Francis partnered with Bolgar in doubles play and together the duo won the the ITA/Florida regional title and finished at the ITA Small College National Championships en route to up a 25-6 record.
Bolgar’s senior season was perhaps the finest in his four-year career with the Eagles. In addition to his doubles success, Bolgar captured the 2009 ITA/Florida Regional crown to advanced to the Small College National Championships where he finished seventh. He led the Eagles in wins with 23, four of which were shutouts, and went 3-0 in conference play to earn first team All-Conference honors. He currently stands at eighth on the Eagles’ career singles wins list with 58 and his 73 doubles victories puts him at seventh on the all-time doubles list.
Rice was second behind Bolgar on the Eagles’ 2010 singles wins list with 22. A two-time conference Player of the Week, he posted a perfect 5-0 record in league play to earn second team All-Conference honors. He was recognized as an NAIA All-America Scholar Athlete thanks to his 3.8 GPA in Engineering Physics.
Maricic holds the distinction of having the highest grade point average of any Eagle player, which afforded him CoSIDA Academic All-District honors. His 3.9 GPA was recognized as one of the highest in the country at the NAIA National Tournament banquet on Monday, where he was honored as an All-America Scholar Athlete and Embry-Riddle’s Champion of Character. After seeing limited action due to injury in 2008-09, Maricic returned to the court and posted a 14-4 singles record in his final season wearing the Blue and Gold and earned second team All-Conference recognition.