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