ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The Great Lakes Valley Conference announced Thursday night that Drury University junior Maxi Hepp has been named the 2016 GLVC Player of the Year in the sport of men’s tennis. He was selected by the league coaches and recognized for his efforts at an awards reception on the eve of the 2016 GLVC Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championship Tournament, which begins on Friday in Romeoville, Illinois. In addition, teammate Kay Bartmann was named GLVC Freshman of the Year, while the GLVC Coach of the Year will be awarded to the coach of the tournament’s winning team. A total of 16 student-athletes from both the GLVC East and West Divisions were recognized as All-Conference honorees.
A two-time GLVC Player of the Week on February 23 and April 5 this year, and a two-time All-GLVC pick, Hepp finished the regular season with an impressive singles record of 17-1 at No. 1 and a 16-2 No. 1 doubles mark with Bartmann. The junior finished regular season action ranked No. 1 in the Division II Midwest Region and 17th in the nation. As a doubles pair, Hepp and Bartmann rank first in the region and 14th in the nation, which is three spots better than their previous ranking of 17th in the month of March. The Auenwald, Germany, native is the fourth Panther to earn the league’s highest accolade, as Matias Oddone was the first Drury player selected in 2006 while Stefan Borg (2007-08) and Andy Blair (2012-13) each won back-to-back accolades.
Bartmann joins Hepp on the All-GLVC team and garners Drury’s third freshman postseason distinction as the 2006 honor went to Ali Chaudhry and Blair won in 2011. In singles play, Bartmann was 14-4 overall, playing in three different positions. He was 1-0 at No. 4, 6-0 at No. 3 and 7-4 in the No. 2 slot. He was most recently ranked the No. 13 individual in the Midwest Region.
Along with Hepp and Bartmann, Drury earned two other All-Conference selections in sophomores Sebastien Amato and Sacha Mourier to garner the largest haul of honorees. University of Indianapolis and University of Southern Indiana followed with three honorees apiece in 2015 GLVC Freshman of the Year Christoph Drechsler, junior Arklon Huertas del Pino and senior Luke Hubert as well as freshman James Hardiman, sophomore Sam Kiladejo and senior Jack Joyce, respectively. Lewis University and University of Missouri-St. Louis each garnered two nods, including Lewis freshman Alan Braschinsky and junior Mate Srdanovic along with UMSL freshman Fabian Frank and sophomore Alberto Maza Martin. Rounding out the accolades were senior Patrick Kuhle of Quincy and sophomore Oskar Unger from Rockhurst.
The league also recognized 16 GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award honorees. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These individuals must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. The honorees are now eligible to become one of their school’s two Spalding Sportsmanship Award winners, which will be announced in May.
A complete list of All-GLVC performers and major postseason award winners can be found below.
2016 ALL-GLVC MEN’S TENNIS POSTSEASON AWARDS
Sebastien Amato, So., DU
Kay Bartmann, Fr., DU
Maxi Hepp, Jr., DU
Sacha Mourier, So., DU
Christoph Drechsler, So., UINDY
Luke Hubert, Sr., UINDY
Arklon Huertas del Pino, Jr., UINDY
Alan Braschinsky, Fr., LEWIS
Mate Srdanovic, Jr., LEWIS
Fabian Frank, Fr., UMSL
Alberto Maza Martin, So., UMSL
Patrick Kuhle, Sr., QU
Oskar Unger, So., RU
James Hardiman, Fr., USI
Jack Joyce, Sr., USI
Sam Kiladejo, So., USI
2016 GLVC Player of the Year: Maxi Hepp, Jr., Drury
2016 GLVC Freshman of the Year: Kay Bartmann, Fr., Drury
2016 GLVC Coach of the Year: Winner of Tournament
2016 JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP NOMINEES
Zachary Kuo, BU
Sebastien Amato, DU
Cole Buehnerkemper, UIS
Luke Hubert, UINDY
Mate Srdanovic, LEWIS
Ben Muller, MCK
Fabian Frank, UMSL
Chris Bueler, QU
Daniel Chmielwiski, RU
Reid Imel, SJC
Jack Joyce, Sr., USI
Matt Peterson, TSU
Brian Wohlers, WJC