Friday, April 22
Baylor School
10:00 a.m.
Chattanooga
vs
Samford
Senior Luke Saunders repeated as the SoCon Sportsmanship Award winner.
Photo by: Dale Rutemeyer
Saunders Earns SoCon Sportsmanship Award
4/19/2016 11:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Luke Saunders and Lucas Plesky were also honored by the SoCon for their play on the court.
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's tennis senior Luke Saunders was named the Southern Conference Don Bunch/Buddy Hartsell Sportsmanship Award Winner for the second year in a row. He and the rest of the Mocs are preparing to host the SoCon Tournament at the Champions Club this weekend.
Saunders is the first player to repeat as winner of the Don Bunch/Buddy Hartsell Sportsmanship Award since Furman's Bo Ladyman (2008, 2009). Saunders joins fellow Moc Jason Ontog (2002, 2003) as the only two UTC players to win the award multiple times.
Saunders competed in the middle of the UTC singles lineup and paired with junior Lucas Plesky at No. 1 doubles. They finished the spring with a 9-5 record and a spot on the All-SoCon second team. They are the first Mocs doubles tandem to earn All-SoCon honors since Roberto Vieira and Ankit Chopra in 2013.
Plesky posted a 20-9 singles record, including a 9-8 mark at No. 1 in the spring. That earned him a spot on the All-SoCon second team.
"I am very proud of Luke and all that he has accomplished during his career at UTC," stated head coach Carlos Garcia. "To win the Sportsmanship Award is a huge honor, but to do it twice is something that just doesn't happen very often.
"I am also excited for Lucas. Earning league honors in both singles and doubles is a great accomplishment and something he can build on for next year."
Chattanooga (7-14, 1-6 SoCon) is the No. 7 seed in the upcoming SoCon Tournament. The Mocs take on the No. 2 seed Samford Bulldogs (12-4, 6-1 SoCon) on Friday, April 22, in the opening round at 10:30 a.m.
Admission is free for the SoCon Tournament at the Champions Club. All of the tournament scores will be updated on SoConSports.com and you can follow UTC's matches through live scoring links on the men's tennis schedule page on GoMocs.com.
Saunders is the first player to repeat as winner of the Don Bunch/Buddy Hartsell Sportsmanship Award since Furman's Bo Ladyman (2008, 2009). Saunders joins fellow Moc Jason Ontog (2002, 2003) as the only two UTC players to win the award multiple times.
Saunders competed in the middle of the UTC singles lineup and paired with junior Lucas Plesky at No. 1 doubles. They finished the spring with a 9-5 record and a spot on the All-SoCon second team. They are the first Mocs doubles tandem to earn All-SoCon honors since Roberto Vieira and Ankit Chopra in 2013.
Plesky posted a 20-9 singles record, including a 9-8 mark at No. 1 in the spring. That earned him a spot on the All-SoCon second team.
"I am very proud of Luke and all that he has accomplished during his career at UTC," stated head coach Carlos Garcia. "To win the Sportsmanship Award is a huge honor, but to do it twice is something that just doesn't happen very often.
"I am also excited for Lucas. Earning league honors in both singles and doubles is a great accomplishment and something he can build on for next year."
Chattanooga (7-14, 1-6 SoCon) is the No. 7 seed in the upcoming SoCon Tournament. The Mocs take on the No. 2 seed Samford Bulldogs (12-4, 6-1 SoCon) on Friday, April 22, in the opening round at 10:30 a.m.
Admission is free for the SoCon Tournament at the Champions Club. All of the tournament scores will be updated on SoConSports.com and you can follow UTC's matches through live scoring links on the men's tennis schedule page on GoMocs.com.
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