PBC Men’s Tennis Players, Coaches Honored by ITA

LOUISVILLE, KY – Armstrong Atlantic State’s Georgi Rumenov was named the national Player to Watch while teammate Sven Lalic was named the national Rookie of the Year as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) released its national and regional award winners on Tuesday night.  Columbus State assistant coach Eva Huning was named Assistant Coach of the Year.  Peach Belt schools also swept all regional ITA awards.

Rumenov was a four-time Peach Belt Player of the Week honoree on the way to being named the Peach Belt Player of the Year. The Barcelona native is currently ranked No. 1 in both singles and doubles in the Campbell/ITA Division II Men’s Rankings. He has a record of 20-1 in singles play and 24-1 in doubles action on the season. Rumenov is the second Armstrong player to earn ITA National Player to Watch honors, joining Davor Zink (2006).

Lalic, meanwhile, was named the Peach Belt Freshman of the Year along with being selected to the Peach Belt All-Conference Second Team for both singles and doubles. The Banja Luka, Bosnia, native has an undefeated record in dual singles action, dropping only one set the entire spring. He has also been ranked in the top 30 in both singles and doubles nationally this season. Lalic is the third Armstrong player to earn ITA DII National Rookie of the Year honors, along with Phillip Schertel (1992) and teammate and current senior Eudaldo Bonet (2009).

Eva Huning, the 2012 Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year, has helped guide the Columbus State program to back-to-back semifinal appearances in the NCAA Division II Men’s National Championship. This year’s team has a record of 22-3, with the only losses coming to the top two teams in the nation. She was awarded ITA Region Coach of the year on the women’s side last season.

2012 Men's National Award Winners:

Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year – Derrick Racine, University of West Florida
ITA Assistant Coach of the Year – Eva Huning, Columbus State University
ITA Senior Player of the Year – Christian Hansen, Valdosta State University
ITA Rookie Player of the Year – Sven Lalic, Armstrong Atlantic State University
ITA Player to Watch – Georgi Rumenov, Armstrong Atlantic State University
ITA/Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship – Tyler McCullough, West Liberty University

Southeast Region Award Winners

Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year - Simon Earnshaw, Armstrong Atlantic State University
Assistant Coach of the Year - Eva Huning, Columbus State University
Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship - Jerome Leborgne, Georgia College
Senior Player of the Year - Mikk Irdoja, Armstrong Atlantic State University
Player to Watch - Georgi Rumenov, Armstrong Atlantic State University
Rookie of the Year - Sven Lalic, Armstrong Atlantic State University