Marquette University Athletics
Photo by: Isaiah Gencuski
Men's Tennis Trio Earns All-BIG EAST
5/1/2019 2:05:00āÆPM | Men's Tennis
Verdu, Smrek and Heredia Gomez honored
The Marquette University men's tennis team had a trio of players claim All-BIG EAST accolades, the league office announced Wednesday afternoon.
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Senior Alvaro Verdu (first team), junior Luke Smrek (first team) and sophomore Luis Heredia Gomez (second team) were all voted among the conference's top players by the league's head coaches.
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"I am usually not at a loss for words, especially when it comes to talking about our players in releases," head coach Steve Rodecap said.Ā "In this case, however, it's extremely difficult to describe how much each of these guys meant to our team and its success in recent years.
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"Al, Luke and Luis each carried us at different points throughout the year, both in singles and doubles, and it's a testament to the work they put in each day that they have been recognized by their peers in the BIG EAST."
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Verdu, the 2018 BIG EAST Player of the Year, concludes his career as a four-time first team honoree.Ā Verdu is the first player in Marquette history to earn all-conference every year of competition.Ā Smrek was the league's freshman of the year in 2016-17 and has now been tabbed all-conference in each of his three campaigns.Ā Heredia Gomez finished with 24 singles wins in 2018-19 and earned a spot on the second team in consecutive seasons
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The Golden Eagles finished 15-9 this year and advanced to the BIG EAST Tournament title match for the fifth-straight year, falling to top-seeded St. John's.Ā Marquette earned its first-ever title in 2018.
2019 BIG EAST Men's Tennis Awards
Player of the Year: Andrei Crapcenco, St. John's, Sr.
Freshman of the Year: Vito Tonejc, DePaul
Coaching Staff of the Year: St. John's
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All-BIG EAST First Team
Mason Dragos, Butler, Sr.
Vito Tonejc, DePaul, Fr.
Luke Smrek, Marquette, Jr.
Alvaro Verdu, Marquette, Sr.
Andrei Crapcenco, St. John's, Sr.
Alan Nunez Aguilera, St. John's, Sr.
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All-BIG EAST Second Team
Thomas Brennan, Butler, Fr.
Nick Campbell, Creighton, Fr.
Luis Heredia Gomez, Marquette, So.
Aditya Vashistha, St. John's, So.
Dusan Vukicevic, St. John's, Sr.
Tyler Roth, Villanova, Jr.
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Senior Alvaro Verdu (first team), junior Luke Smrek (first team) and sophomore Luis Heredia Gomez (second team) were all voted among the conference's top players by the league's head coaches.
Ā
"I am usually not at a loss for words, especially when it comes to talking about our players in releases," head coach Steve Rodecap said.Ā "In this case, however, it's extremely difficult to describe how much each of these guys meant to our team and its success in recent years.
Ā
"Al, Luke and Luis each carried us at different points throughout the year, both in singles and doubles, and it's a testament to the work they put in each day that they have been recognized by their peers in the BIG EAST."
Ā
Verdu, the 2018 BIG EAST Player of the Year, concludes his career as a four-time first team honoree.Ā Verdu is the first player in Marquette history to earn all-conference every year of competition.Ā Smrek was the league's freshman of the year in 2016-17 and has now been tabbed all-conference in each of his three campaigns.Ā Heredia Gomez finished with 24 singles wins in 2018-19 and earned a spot on the second team in consecutive seasons
Ā
The Golden Eagles finished 15-9 this year and advanced to the BIG EAST Tournament title match for the fifth-straight year, falling to top-seeded St. John's.Ā Marquette earned its first-ever title in 2018.
2019 BIG EAST Men's Tennis Awards
Player of the Year: Andrei Crapcenco, St. John's, Sr.
Freshman of the Year: Vito Tonejc, DePaul
Coaching Staff of the Year: St. John's
Ā
All-BIG EAST First Team
Mason Dragos, Butler, Sr.
Vito Tonejc, DePaul, Fr.
Luke Smrek, Marquette, Jr.
Alvaro Verdu, Marquette, Sr.
Andrei Crapcenco, St. John's, Sr.
Alan Nunez Aguilera, St. John's, Sr.
Ā
All-BIG EAST Second Team
Thomas Brennan, Butler, Fr.
Nick Campbell, Creighton, Fr.
Luis Heredia Gomez, Marquette, So.
Aditya Vashistha, St. John's, So.
Dusan Vukicevic, St. John's, Sr.
Tyler Roth, Villanova, Jr.
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Players Mentioned
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