ARLINGTON, Texas - Freshmen Alan Sau Franco and Angel Diaz earned Sun Belt Conference tennis postseason accolades, announced by the league on Wednesday afternoon. Sau Franco was named the Sun Belt Conference Player to Watch, while Diaz earned First Team All-Conference Singles.

"Alan has worked extremely hard over the last year to get his tennis game into top shape," said head coach Diego Benitez. "He has put in a lot of extra hours and it has paid off for him. We expect him to be one of our leaders next year and I am happy for him to win this prestigious award."

Sau Franco led all Mavericks in wins this season, cranking out 12 victories in dual and tournament action. In dual play, the freshman from Leon, Mexico, finished with a team-best 8-5 record. Dating back to tournament action in the fall, Sau Franco took down SEC opponents Pierce Rollins and Noah Schacter, and defeated a Pac-12 opponent in Slava Shainyan. He is the first Maverick to win the Player to Watch award since joining the Sun Belt in 2013.

"Angel played against the top competition of our opponents each match," said Benitez. "His record speaks for itself and he deserves the first team selection."

Angel Diaz held down the No. 1 spot for the Mavericks this season. The freshman won 11 total matches and ended the season winning six of his final eight matches. During tournament play in the fall, Diaz took down Leighton Allen of Texas 6-3, 6-2. During the spring season, Diaz earned an International Tennis Association (ITA) ranking as high as No. 84 in the nation - the highest mark for a Maverick since 2018. This marks the fifth straight season that the Mavericks have had at least one player selected to the First Team Singles team.

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