Flach and Reynolds Earn SEC Coach and Player of the Year Honors 4/16/03

OXFORD, Miss. – Following its best Southeastern Conference regular season in the program’s history, several members of the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team were acknowledged for their success. Head coach Ken Flach and junior Bobby Reynolds were presented with two of the highest honors the conference hands out.

Flach, who is in his seventh season with the Commodores, had his most successful season since taking over the reigns back in 1997. Under Flach’s watch, Vanderbilt finished the season with a 19-3 overall record and a 9-2 SEC mark. The Commodores achieved their highest ranking in the program’s history (#8) and their best finish during a SEC season (second).

Reynolds won the SEC Player of the Year honor to give Vanderbilt its first award since it was sanctioned by the league in 1993. The Acworth, Ga. native finished the regular season with a 19-1 singles record in dual matches. He was the only player in the SEC at the No. 1 position to go undefeated during the regular season. Reynolds earned SEC Player of the Week in the first week of the season and was also named National Player of the Month by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association twice this season (January and March). This is the second time Reynolds has earned All-SEC recognition (2002).

Junior Chad Harris (Aurora, Colo.), who is currently ranked No. 15 nationally, joined Reynolds on the All-SEC First Team. Harris finished the regular season with 30 singles’ victories, which included a 15-4 dual-match record. Harris had an outstanding SEC season, as he compiled a 9-2 dual-match record.

Sophomores Matt Lockin (Lilburn, Ga.) and Scott Brown (St. Louis, Mo.) were both named to the All-SEC Second Team. Lockin, who transferred to Vanderbilt from the University of Michigan, has won 23 singles matches this season, while Brown has tallied 17 wins. Lockin has compiled a 13-6 dual-match record, while Brown has gone 14-7.

The Commodores will begin SEC Tournament action at 5 p.m. (CST) Friday against the winner of the South Carolina/Georgia match, which will be played on Thursday. The Commodores defeated the Bulldogs, 7-0, back on February 28 in Nashville, and the Gamecocks last Sunday, 5-1, in Columbia, S.C.

FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC
Rameez Junaid, Auburn
Janne Holmia, Florida
Hamid Mirzadeh, Florida
Bo Hodge, Georgia
Jesse Witten, Kentucky
Bryan Fisher, LSU
Jason Hazley, LSU
Alex Hartman, Ole Miss
Claes Lindholm, Ole Miss
Romain Ambert, Mississippi State
Chad Harris, Vanderbilt
Bobby Reynolds, Vanderbilt

SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC
Maxim Belski, Alabama
Chris McDonald, Florida
Nicolas Boeker, Georgia
Peter Richman, LSU
Catalin Gard, Ole Miss
Paul Ciorascu, Ole Miss
Angelo Niculescu, South Carolina
Seth Rose, South Carolina
Mark Dietrich, Tennessee
Simon Rea, Tennessee
Scott Brown, Vanderbilt
Matt Lockin, Vanderbilt

SEC COACH OF THE YEAR
Ken Flach, Vanderbilt

SEC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Bobby Reynolds, Vanderbilt

SEC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Janne Holmia, Florida