Sophomore Philip Therp of UC Santa Barbara headlined the announcement of the men's tennis all-conference awards today with his naming as the 2008 Big West Player of the Year. UCSB's Marty Davis and Pacific's Guido Baumann were named Co-Coaches of the Year and Pacific's David Gonzalez garnered Freshman of the Year accolades.
Therp, a native of Birkeroed, Denmark, posted a 13-11 dual match record for the Gauchos in 2008, including a 7-7 mark at the No. 1 singles position. He had a 5-2 record against Big West opponents with wins against three members of the all-conference first team. Therp's victories at No. 1 singles against Andy Gerst of Cal Poly and Moritz Starke of Pacific played a key role in catapulting the Gauchos to their third consecutive Big West tournament title last weekend in Indian Wells. Therp becomes the first player in Big West history to capture the premier honors of Big West Player and Freshman of the Year, the latter of which he received in 2007.
Davis earned the top coaching honor for the third straight year and fifth time overall. In his ninth season at UCSB, Davis led the Gauchos to an overall mark of 15-9 and a Big West co-regular season title. He also guided UCSB to its third consecutive Big West Tournament title after the Gauchos defeated Cal Poly and Pacific last weekend. The championship qualified UCSB for the NCAA Championships for the fifth time under Davis.
Baumann secured his fourth Coach of the Year honor in his 11th season at the Pacific helm. It is the first time he has shared the award after earning the distinction in 2001, 2004 and 2005. Baumann took the Tigers to the championship match of the Big West Tournament for the seventh time in the last eight seasons, leading them to an overall mark of 11-12 and a tie for third place in conference play at 3-2.
Gonzalez is the first Pacific player to amass the top freshman honor from the conference. The native of Guayaquil, Ecuador compiled a 15-7 dual match record, playing primarily at the No. 2 singles spot. He was 9-6 at No. 2, 4-0 at No. 3 and 2-0 at No. 4. Gonzalez also earned Big West Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week plaudits on April 2. Gonzalez posted a 4-3 record against Big West opposition.
The following is a complete listing of the 2008 Big West All-Conference Team:
FIRST TEAM - SINGLES
| Name |
Yr. |
School |
| Andy Gerst |
Jr. |
Cal Poly |
| David Gonzalez |
Fr. |
Pacific |
| Bijan Hejazi |
Jr. |
UC Santa Barbara |
| Victor Lamm |
Sr. |
UC Irvine |
| Moritz Starke |
Jr. |
Pacific |
| Alex Sundling |
Sr. |
UC Irvine |
| Philip Therp |
So. |
UC Santa Barbara |
SECOND TEAM - SINGLES
| Name |
Yr. |
School |
| Joe Cartledge |
Sr. |
UC Riverside |
| Trevor Dobson |
Jr. |
UC Irvine |
| Renan Delsin |
So. |
Pacific |
| Jack Hui |
Sr. |
UC Santa Barbara |
| Henri Landes |
Sr. |
UC Davis |
| Darryn Young |
Jr. |
Cal Poly |
HONORABLE MENTION - SINGLES
| Name |
Yr. |
School |
| Alex Konigsfeldt |
Fr. |
UC Santa Barbara |
| Drew Jacobs |
Fr. |
Cal Poly |
| Artem Gramma |
Fr. |
Pacific |
| Khunpol Issara |
Fr. |
UC Irvine |
FIRST TEAM - DOUBLES
| Name |
School |
| Darryn Young/Rob Foy |
Cal Poly |
| Joe Cartledge/Ahmad Shiraz |
UC Riverside |
| Alex Sundling/Zac Tsai |
UC Irvine |
| Alex Konigsfeldt/Josh Finkelstein |
UC Santa Barbara |
SECOND TEAM - DOUBLES
| Name |
School |
| Philip Therp/Jack Hui |
UC Santa Barbara |
| Moritz Starke/David Gonzalez |
Pacific |
| Andy Gerst/Alexander Sonesson |
Cal Poly |
| Daniel Elefant/Michael Reiser |
UC Davis |
HONORABLE MENTION - DOUBLES
| Name |
School |
| Victor Lamm/Ajay Ahluwalia |
UC Irvine |
| Quoc Doan/John Park |
UC Riverside |
2008 BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Philip Therp, UC Santa Barbara
2008 BIG WEST CO-COACHES OF THE YEAR
Marty Davis, UC Santa Barbara
Guido Baumann, Pacific
2008 BIG WEST FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
David Gonzalez, Pacific