Men’s Tennis All-BIG EAST Team Announced
NEW YORK – For the second straight year St. John's Roberto Livi was named BIG EAST Player of the Year, while Butler’s Mason Dragos earned Freshman of the Year honors, the conference announced on Wednesday. St. John’s, headed by Eric Rebhuhn, was also named Coaching Staff of the Year.
The Red Storm, winners of the BIG EAST Championship title, had four student-athletes named to the all-conference team for the second straight year. Marquette, DePaul and Xavier each had two all-conference selections. Three student-athletes were unanimously chosen by the leagues head coaches, DePaul’s Sten Leusink and Marquette’s Daniel Fernandez along with Livi from St. John’s.
The major awards and All-BIG EAST team were voted on by the eight head coaches who could not cast ballots for themselves or their own student-athletes.
Livi, the Co-Player of the Year in 2015, goes into the NCAA tournament with a 17-4 overall record in singles play and 13-7 overall slate in doubles. Playing primarily at No. 3 singles, Livi posted a 14-4 record at that position. He went undefeated in the BIG EAST Championships and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Dragos went 12-11 in singles playing primarily in the No. 1 position where he went 7-6 in his first year of collegiate tennis. The newcomer went 10-9 in doubles play for the Bulldogs, going 9-6 with Mikheil Khmiadashvil in the No. 1 spot. He went 1-1 at the BIG EAST Championship, picking up a win in the backdraw round over Creighton’s Alex Koca in three sets 7-5, 6-7, 6-4.
Rebhuhn coached St. John's to the top seed once again in the BIG EAST Men's Tennis Championship, where the Red Storm picked up three team victories over No. 8 Villanova, No. 5 Xavier and No. 2 Marquette to complete the three-peat. With the automatic bid, the Red Storm is set to compete in the NCAA Championship against USF on Saturday, May 14. Rebhuhn is in his 15th season in Queens and has won the Coaching Staff of the Year four times (2016, 2015, 2014, 2011).
The full 12 member all-conference team is below.
BIG EAST Player of the Year
Roberto Livi, St. John’s, Jr.
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Mason Dragos, Butler
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year
St. John’s
2016 Men’s Tennis All-BIG EAST Team
Mason Dragos, Butler, Fr.,
Jan Willem Feilzer, DePaul, Sr.
Sten Leusink, DePaul, Sr.*
Daniel Fernandez, Marquette, Sr.*
Alvaro Verdu, Marquette, Fr.
Andrei Crapcenco, St. John’s, Fr.
Lucas Hejhal, St. John’s, Sr.
Roberto Livi, St. John’s, Jr.*
Vadik Munshaw, St. John’s, Sr.
Chris Seitz, Villanova, Sr.
Zach Mueck, Xavier, Sr.
Arthur Stefani, Xavier, So.
*Unanimous Selection