MAAC Announces 2018 Men's Tennis Major Award Winners & All-MAAC Teams
WEST WINDSOR, NJ – The 2018 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s Championship is set to start on Saturday, April 28 at Mercer County Tennis Center in West Windsor, NJ. Semifinal action is set to begin at 10 a.m.
The 2018 MAAC Men’s Tennis Player of the Year is Nicola Pipoli from Monmouth University. Pipoli received MAAC Player of the Week honors twice, once on April 4 and again on April 25. The junior finished the season 14-7 overall and 7-0 in MAAC play from singles one en route to being named a unanimous First Team selection at the position.
Will Cooke Wharton from Monmouth University is the 2018 MAAC Men’s Tennis Rookie of the Year. Cooke Wharton went 10-7 in singles play this season, including an 8-1 mark from #5 singles. The freshman ended the year on an eight-match win streak and was an All-MAAC First Team selection at singles #5.
The 2018 MAAC Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year is Alex Kasarov from Monmouth University. Kasarov led the Hawks to a 13-13 overall record and 7-0 mark in conference action. The Hawks captured the Regular Season Championship and the No. 1 seed in this weekend’s championship. Coach Kasarov had five student-athletes named to the All-MAAC First Team at singles and swept First Team doubles honors.
On the All-MAAC Second Team Marist College had representatives at four different positions. At doubles Christopher Gladden and Javier Restrepo earn the #3 position, Rudolf Kurz and Gianlucca Massa claim the #2 position. Christopher Gladden and Gianlucca Massa also earned a spot on second team singles at the #5 and #3 slot respectively. Quinnipiac’s Julian Rozenstein and Patrick Cachapero took the #1 doubles slot. Rozenstein also earned All-MAAC Second Team honors at #1 singles and teammate Axel Stern received #4 singles honors. Monmouth’s Srdjan Jakovljevic rounds out the 2018 All-MAAC Second Team at #2 singles.
Joining Cooke Wharton and Pipoli at singles on the 2018 All-MAAC First Team are teammates Sergio Martinez at #6 singles, Max Benaim at #5 singles, and unanimous selection Ale Gomez Estrada at #3 singles. Marist College’s Rudolf Kurz at #2 singles rounds out first team singles. Monmouth swept All-MAAC First Team doubles with Srdjan Jakovljevic and Sergio Martinez at doubles #3, Max Benaim and Ale Gomez Estrada at doubles #2 and Will Cooke Wharton and Nicola Pipoli at #1 doubles.
For more information regarding the 2018 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships visit
maacsports.com/tennis.
| All-MAAC First Team |
| Slot |
Name |
Institution |
| Singles 1 |
Nicola Pipoli* |
Monmouth |
| Singles 2 |
Rudolf Kurz |
Marist |
| Singles 3 |
Ale Gomez Estrada* |
Monmouth |
| Singles 4 |
Max Benaim |
Monmouth |
| Singles 5 |
Will Cooke Wharton |
Monmouth |
| Singles 6 |
Sergio Martinez |
Monmouth |
| Doubles 1 |
Will Cooke Wharton/Nicola Pipoli |
Monmouth |
| Doubles 2 |
Max Benaim/Ale Gomez Estrada |
Monmouth |
| Doubles 3 |
Srdjan Jakovljevic/Sergio Martinez |
Monmouth |
| All-MAAC Second Team |
| Slot |
Name |
Institution |
| Singles 1 |
Julian Rozenstein |
Quinnipiac |
| Singles 2 |
Srdjan Jakovljevic |
Monmouth |
| Singles 3 |
Gianlucca Massa |
Marist |
| Singles 4 |
Axel Stern |
Quinnipiac |
| Singles 5 |
Christopher Gladden |
Marist |
| Singles 6 |
Hielke Moore |
Quinnipiac |
| Doubles 1 |
Patrick Cachapero/Julian Rozenstein |
Quinnipiac |
| Doubles 2 |
Rudolf Kurz/Gianlucca Massa |
Marist |
| Doubles 3 |
Christopher Gladden/Javier Restrepo |
Marist |
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 37
th year of competition during the 2017-18 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena College.