OGDEN, Utah (May 3, 2019) – The Northern Arizona Men's Tennis team was able to have six of its player receive all-conference recognition in a vote by the Big Sky's head coaches. The Lumberjacks senior
Tim Handel added another Big Sky Most Valuable Player to his resume after an impressive 21-1 season.
"Congratulations to all conference awards recipients," NAU head coach
Maciej Bogusz said. "I am happy that all of our starters got recognized in same way. We had players who went undefeated in the conference season, which is very hard to do in our league. Well deserved."
First Team
The Lumberjack players that got voted first-team honors were Handel and
Lucas Taylor in singles and the duo pair of Handel and
Ruben Montano in doubles. Handel's first team honor marks his fourth of his career, while this is Taylor's first time in his four-year career that he made the first team honors. Handel plays at the No. 1 position for the Lumberjacks, while Taylor performs at the No. 2 position. The first team honor for the tandem of Handel and Montano mark the second time in their career that they were voted first team by the Big Sky coaches.
Second Team
The NAU players that were honored with second-team honors were Montano and Tumosa in singles, and the pair of
Tom Fisher and
Chris Steele in doubles. This second team honors mark the first time in both Montano's and Tumosa's career that they have made the second team. Montano has played mostly at the No. 5 for the 'Jacks, while Tumosa has played mainly at the No. 3. The duo of Steele and Fisher, make second-team honors for the first time in their careers after going 18-10 on the season at the No. 2 position.
Honorable Mention
In singles, Fisher takes home honorable mention honors for the first time in his career as he went 15-9 at the No. 6 position. In doubles, the pair of Taylor and Tumosa take home honorable mention honors after going 17-5 at the No. 3 duo's position.
Most Valuable Player
Handel has won his third ever Big Sky Most Valuable Player after an impressive 21-1 record on the season and a 10-0 mark against Big Sky opponents to finish his career 38-2 in league action. The senior played all 22 matches at the No. 1 position.
"I am so happy for Tim, he will go down as one of the best tennis players in the history of our program," Bogusz said. "He is not only an amazing athlete but most of all a great person and a leader. Every coach dreams of having a player like him and I feel very fortunate to coach Tim. I know he can't wait to represent NAU and the Big Sky conference at NCAA championships."
Freshman of the Year
Tumosa was able to win freshman of the Year honors after going 19-8 on the season, and 9-1 in Big Sky matches. The 'Jack played mostly at the No. 3 and No. 4 positions.
"Facundo made huge progress since stepping on NAU's campus," Bogusz said. "He became a more disciplined player and improved the mental part of his game. He is the future of this program, and we can't wait to see what he can accomplish."
Coach of the Year
Northern Arizona men's tennis coach
Maciej Bogusz has become the third coach in NAU history to win the Big Sky Coach of the Year after an impressive 22-6 record on the season. During the 2019 season, Bogusz and the Lumberjacks were able to set a school record for the longest winning streak in NAU history, as the team won 19 straight matches. Bogusz also helped lead the 'Jacks to a prefect 10-0 Big Sky record on the season, and their first-ever NCAA appearance after winning the Big Sky Championship.
"We have a lot of great coaches in the conference, so it is a great honor to be recognized by them," Bogusz said. "Everyone knows that behind every successful coach there is a staff of people who take care of all the work behind the scenes. Our student-athletes are very fortunate to work with such fantastic support staff. I would like to thank our staff for all their hard work all season long; without them the success the team had this season wouldn't be possible."
