MT: Four Mavs garner Sun Belt awards
4/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
By Cassie Logan | @c4ssielogan
ARLINGTON, Texas - Daniel Armengol, Jhonathan Gonzalez and Carlos Arbiza headline the 2016 Sun Belt All-Conference awards for UT Arlington men's tennis, the league announced Thursday.
"I am extremely proud of the whole group," UT Arlington coach Diego Benitez said. "They have really done a great job. I am looking forward to this weekend and hopefully we can do some damage and go deep in the tournament."
Armengol picked up All-Conference singles first team recognition and shared the All-Conference doubles first team honor with junior Jhonathan Gonalez. Senior and team captain Arbiza rounded out UTA's achievements as an All-Conference singles second team member.
"Danny and Jhonathan getting first team on doubles is a great thing," Benitez said. "They are an extremely tough doubles team and have won so many matches for us. They contribute to so many doubles points we earn. They are very, very disciplined and play very clean tennis. They are one of the best teams in the conference and in the nation and proved it by beating so many ranked teams.
"I am so proud of Danny. He continues to be a good asset of us. He is just an extremely committed player. He is very dedicated. He has done a great job for us."
Armengol posted a career-low four losses this season en route to an overall team-best 15-4 singles record. The junior has manned the back end of the Maverick lineup with nine wins at the No. 5 position.
Armengol and Gonzalez were ranked No. 61 in the Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Division I standings at one point in the season. The pair currently dons a team-best 13-5 overall mark in doubles play and a 12-3 nod at the No. 2 spot. The duo has won seven of their last 10 heading into the Sun Belt Championship.
Arbiza is taking home conference honors in his final season as a Maverick. The captain is 14-2 in singles and fosters a nine-match winning streak into the tournament. Arbiza is 55-47 over his four-year career.
"Carlos continues to be the leader that he is. He really earned his second team spot. He is one of the best players UTA has ever had."
UTA clinched its first back-to-back winning campaigns since 2003-04 with a 15-10 mark on the regular season. The Mavericks are just two wins shy of tying the all-time program record and will attempt the feat when they open play against Louisiana in the first round at 3 p.m. Friday in New Orleans, La.
Follow @UTAMavsTennis for updates throughout the Sun Belt Championship.
Student-Athlete of the Year
- Tuki Jacobs (South Alabama)
Freshman of the Year
- Arthur Libaud (UL Lafayette)
Student-Athlete to Watch
- Zackery Kennedy (Georgia State)
Coach of the Year
- Brett Ross (Georgia State)
Sun Belt All-Conference Singles First Team
- Ristomatti Lanne (Georgia Southern)
- Zackery Kennedy (Georgia State)
- Jannis Koeke (Georgia State)
- Edgar Lopez (UL Lafayette)
- Tuki Jacobs (South Alabama)
- Daniel Armengol (UT Arlington)
Sun Belt All-Conference Doubles First Team
- Edgar Lopez/Eric Perez (UL Lafayette)
- Daniel Armengol/Jhonathan Gonzalez (UT Arlington)
- Andy Lau/Pablo Moreno (Troy)
Sun Belt All-Conference Singles Second Team
- Scott Webster (Appalachian State)
- Arthur Libaud (UL Lafayette)
- Tim Srkala (South Alabama)
- Juan Troglia (South Alabama)
- Carlos Arbiza (UT Arlington)
- Pablo Moreno (Troy)
Sun Belt All-Conference Doubles Second Team
- Oliver Casey/Jack Maddocks (Appalachian State)
- Scott Webster/Jan-Willem Kleynhans (Appalachian State
- Sebastian Acuna/Andrei Andrukhou (Georgia State)
