The South Atlantic Conference Announces 2021 Men's Tennis Annual Award Winners

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSac.com) – Lenoir-Rhyne's Rhodri Atkinson was voted the 2021 South Atlantic Conference Men's Tennis Player of the Year, while Tusculum's Dmitry Bezborodov was voted the Conference's Freshman of the Year.  In addition, Wingate's head coach Michael Cabana was named the Coach of the Year, the SAC office announced today.

Atkinson, junior from Gloucester, England, completed the regular season with an outstanding singles record, going 10-1 in SAC play and 11-2 overall at No. 1 singles. He is also part of the nationally ranked No. 10 doubles team that finished the regular season 12-0 overall at No. 1 doubles.

Bezborodov, a freshman from Almaty, Kazakhstan, completed the regular season with a phenomenal 15-2 overall record at No. 1 singles, going 9-1 in SAC play. In doubles, Bezborodov and his partner Leon Huck have a 13-4 overall record, winning seven of their last eight matches, including five matches in a row.   

Cabana guided the Bulldogs to their third consecutive South Atlantic Conference Regular Season Championship with a 10-0 record in SAC play.  Overall, the Bulldogs finished the 2021 campaign with an 11-1 record.  Wingate is currently ranked No. 12 in the latest Oracle/ITA Division II Men's Tennis National Ranking.

Joining Atkinson and Bezborodov on the All-SAC first team singles squad were Enrico Gicomini of Wingate, Edoardo Bottino and Paolo Bompieri from Queens, and Carson-Newman's Marc Janse.

The All-SAC first team doubles honorees were Atkinson and Josh Lazenby of Lenoir-Rhyne, Bompieri and Kasper Rolfsen of Queens, and Bottino and Edoardo Cecere also of Queens.  

2021 SAC Men's Tennis Conference

First Team Doubles
Rhodri Atkinson / Josh Lazenby, Lenoir-Rhyne
Paolo Bompieri / Kasper Rolfsen, Queens
Edoardo Bottino / Edoardo Cecere, Queens

Second Team Doubles
Nemanja Subanovic / Frank Bonacia, Tusculum
Dmitry Bezborodov / Leon Huck, Tusculum
Josep Canyadell / Matthew Jones, Wingate

Honorable Mention Doubles
Juan Cruz Moncada / Thomas Pudney, Anderson
Maurcio Hernandez / Nicolas Moser, Lenoir-Rhyne
Jake Tuchmann / Iker Moure, Lincoln Memorial

First Team Singles
Rhodri Atkinson, Lenoir-Rhyne
Dmitry Bezborodov, Tusculum
Edoardo Bottino, Queens
Enrico Giacomini, Wingate
Marc Janse, Carson-Newman
Paolo Bompieri, Queens

Second Team Singles
Edoardo Cecere, Queens
Roy Stepanov, Wingate
Juan Cruz Moncada, Anderson
Nemanja Subanovic, Tusculum
Josh Lazenby, Lenoir-Rhyne
Frank Bonacia, Tusculum

Honorable Mention Singles
Leon Huck, Tusculum
Luis Zamorano, Limestone
Adam Kush, Anderson
Jake Tuchmann, Lincoln Memorial
Justus Lehmann, Coker
Thomas Pudney, Anderson

Player of the Year
Rhodri Atkinson, Lenoir-Rhyne 

Freshman of the Year
Dmitry Bezborodov, Tusculum

Coach of the Year
Michael Cabana, Wingate 

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