Zguns Named First Team All-SEC; Roberts Strode Earn Second Team Honors
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas senior Adrians Zguns was named first team All-Southeastern Conference, while senior Matt Roberts and freshman Blake Strode earned second team honors, the league office announced Tuesday afternoon.
This is the first time Arkansas has had three members of the All-SEC team. The Hogs had two each in 1995, 1996, 2004 and 2005. The Razorbacks’ three members trail only Georgia (6) and Ole Miss (4) for most in the conference. Florida and LSU also boast three members.
Zguns earned the second first team nod of his career. Zguns gained first team accolades in 2004, and matches Oskar Johansson (2000 and 2001) as the only two Razorbacks to be named to the SEC first team twice. Zguns went 24-8 during the regular season, 6-4 in the SEC and finished ranked 19th in the nation, the third highest ranking of any player in the SEC. The Liepafa, Latvia native also became just the fourth Hog in school history to reach 100 victories in his career, and is currently third in school history with 102.
Roberts garnered his second consecutive all-conference honor. The Little Rock, Ark. product was named to the second team a year ago. Roberts has won 26 matches each of the past two seasons, and finished the regular season ranked 72nd. Roberts was 8-3 in the SEC this season, and has won 17 conference matches over the past two seasons.
Strode is the lone freshman on either the first or second team. He is the second freshman in school history to achieve All-SEC honors, and the first since 1995, when Tom Hamilton was named to the second team. Strode, a St. Louis, Mo. native, has been ranked as high as No. 19 this season, and won 25 matches in his freshman campaign, including an 8-3 SEC mark.
Arkansas opens Southeastern Conference Tournament play Thursday against Vanderbilt. The Razorbacks are the sixth-seed, while the Commodores are the 11th-seed. The match begins at 10 a.m. at the University of Alabama Tennis Complex in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
All-SEC
First Team
Singles
John Isner, Georgia
Antonio Ruiz, Georgia
Adrians Zguns, Arkansas
Luis Flores, Georgia
Erline Tveit, Ole Miss
Ken Skupski, LSU
Greg Ouellette, Florida
Eric Claesson, Ole Miss
Alex Hume, Kentucky
Nestor Briceno, Florida
Strahinja Bobusic, Georgia
Ryan Preston, Vanderbilt
Doubles
John Isner/Antonio Ruiz, Georgia
Second Team Singles Matt Roberts, Arkansas
Juan Pablo di Cesare, Ole Miss
Matic Omerzel, Georgia
Nick Lane, Auburn
Colin Purcell, Georgia
Bram ten Berge, Ole Miss
Ivan Bjelica, Mississippi St.
Pierre Mouillon, Mississippi St.
Vlad Obradovic, Florida
Blake Strode, Arkansas
Jaime Cuellar, South Carolina
Danny Bryan, LSU
Colt Gaston, LSU
Doubles
Danny Bryan/Colt Gaston, LSU
Coach of the Year: Manuel Diaz, Georgia
Player of the Year: John Isner, Georgia
Freshman of the Year: Bruno Agostinelli, Kentucky
Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Bram ten Berge, Ole Miss