Six PBC Men's Tennis Players Named All-American
Six Peach Belt Conference tennis players were named All-American
by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) once the final
rankings for the 2008 season were released. Armstrong Atlantic
State, after capturing their first National Championship this
season, placed Rafael Array and Tim Johannsen on the team. Joining
them are Augusta State’s Sergi Mullor, USC Aiken’s
Bruno Seves, GCSU’s Erick Siqueira and Columbus State’s
Frank Suarez.
Freshman Tim Johannsen went 15-7 in his debut season and finished
the year ranked No. 6 in singles, earning All-America honors.
Johannsen teamed with fellow freshman Rafael Array to go 20-5 in
doubles and end the year ranked No. 2 in the nation, also earning
All-America honors. Both players were also named PBC
All-Conference.
Mullor finished the season ranked fourth in the Mid-Atlantic Region
and 11th in the nation in singles. He compiled a 19-4 record in
singles and posted an 18-7 mark in doubles. Mullor, who helped lead
the Jaguar netters to a No. 7 regional ranking and a No. 22
national ranking, is the first ASU men’s tennis player in
school history to earn All-America accolades.
Seves, a 6’1” junior from Araraquara, Brazil, finished
16-2 on the season and went through the Peach Belt Conference
winning all eight of his matches. The junior was 4-2 against
nationally ranked opponents, including a 6-4, 6-2 victory over
Siqueira on April 13. After a season-opening loss at Valdosta
State, Seves rattled off 16 straight wins before a loss against
Augusta State in the PBC Tournament.
Siqueira, the 2008 PBC Player of the Year, was named an
All-American for the second straight season. Siqueira went 19-2
this season in singles action, adding a 17-7 doubles mark. He
finished the year ranked No. 5 in singles and No. 12 in doubles,
teamed with junior Francis Yoshimoto (Sao Paulo, Brazil).
Suarez, a sophomore from Caracas, Venezuela, made a big impression
in his first season as a Cougar. He finished the year ranked 19th
in the ITA singles rankings after posting a 15-7 season mark with
14 of those wins coming at the #1 singles position. He posted a 5-3
mark in PBC play.
To be named an ITA All-American, a player must have been ranked in
the final top 20 in singles or the final top 10 in doubles.