Assistant Coach Mark Merklein was named the ITA Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year on Monday afternoon.
Gators Win Three ITA Regional Honors
Monday, May 9, 2016 | Men's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 9 University of Florida men's tennis team grabbed three ITA Regional Awards on Monday afternoon. Head Coach Bryan Shelton, Assistant Coach Mark Merklein and freshman Alfredo Perez were each honored by the ITA regional awards committee.
Coach Shelton was named the 2016 Wilson/ITA Southeast Region Coach of the Year for the first time in his four years at the helm of the University of Florida men's tennis team. Shelton has led the Gators to their best SEC finish since the 2004-2005 season with a 10-2 regular season record and an SEC Tournament title that came with a defeat of the Georgia Bulldogs in Columbia, S.C. Coach Shelton also garnered his first SEC Coach of the Year nod on April 28. The Southeast Region Coach of the Year honor is the first time a UF coach has won the award since Andy Jackson in 2010.
Assistant Coach Merklein earned the ITA Southeast Region Assistant of the Year award after helping the Gators to an 18-6 record going into the NCAA Tournament with an SEC Tournament title. The Florida Gators have benefitted from Merklein's physical fitness drills that have the Gators in the best shape to make a tournament run. In just his third season as the assistant coach, Merklein becomes the second Gator to earn this honor and first since Michael Hegarty in 2003.
Freshman Alfredo Perez can add another award to his list of accolades during his freshman campaign in the orange and blue. The Havana, Cuba native won the ITA Southeast Region Rookie of the Year award after a stellar freshman campaign. Perez compiled a team-leading 17 dual match singles victories and was 12-3 in dual match doubles. The SEC Co-Freshman of the Year is now 5-1 at the No. 2 position and had a pair of singles wins over the No. 35 and No. 53 players in the nation to help Florida secure the 2016 SEC Tournament title.
Florida will begin the NCAA Tournament with the University of North Florida Ospreys on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET. The Gators are hosts of the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Tournament this week and are the No. 9 seed in the tournament.
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Coach Shelton was named the 2016 Wilson/ITA Southeast Region Coach of the Year for the first time in his four years at the helm of the University of Florida men's tennis team. Shelton has led the Gators to their best SEC finish since the 2004-2005 season with a 10-2 regular season record and an SEC Tournament title that came with a defeat of the Georgia Bulldogs in Columbia, S.C. Coach Shelton also garnered his first SEC Coach of the Year nod on April 28. The Southeast Region Coach of the Year honor is the first time a UF coach has won the award since Andy Jackson in 2010.
Assistant Coach Merklein earned the ITA Southeast Region Assistant of the Year award after helping the Gators to an 18-6 record going into the NCAA Tournament with an SEC Tournament title. The Florida Gators have benefitted from Merklein's physical fitness drills that have the Gators in the best shape to make a tournament run. In just his third season as the assistant coach, Merklein becomes the second Gator to earn this honor and first since Michael Hegarty in 2003.
Freshman Alfredo Perez can add another award to his list of accolades during his freshman campaign in the orange and blue. The Havana, Cuba native won the ITA Southeast Region Rookie of the Year award after a stellar freshman campaign. Perez compiled a team-leading 17 dual match singles victories and was 12-3 in dual match doubles. The SEC Co-Freshman of the Year is now 5-1 at the No. 2 position and had a pair of singles wins over the No. 35 and No. 53 players in the nation to help Florida secure the 2016 SEC Tournament title.
Florida will begin the NCAA Tournament with the University of North Florida Ospreys on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET. The Gators are hosts of the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Tournament this week and are the No. 9 seed in the tournament.
Follow the Gators:
Official Website
Players Mentioned
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