April 24, 2008

The Big Ten Conference announced today the 2008 Men's Tennis All-Big Ten team and individual honorees.  Ohio State's Bryan Koniecko was named the Big Ten Athlete of the Year, becoming the first Buckeye to take home the conference's top accolade since 2003.  Koniecko was a perfect 10-0 in singles as well as doubles play during the Big Ten season. 

Wisconsin's Marek Michalicka was honored as Freshman of the Year, the first for a Badger athlete in 16 years.  Michalicka helped Wisconsin to a tie for second in the Big Ten standings this season.  The freshman posted an 8-2 in record in conference matches.

Ohio State head coach Ty Tucker was chosen as the Big Ten Coach of the Year for the third-consecutive season and for the fourth time in his career.  Tucker's Buckeyes finished 29-1 on the season and went 10-0 in conference play for a third-straight year.  OSU has now won the Big Ten regular season title three times in a row dating back to 2006.  Ohio State is currently ranked No. 2 nationally and now has won 36-consecutive Big Ten matches and is 87-5 in its last 92 contests, including the postseason.

The Conference office also announced honorees from each team for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The 11 student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. These student-athletes are now candidates for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, as the Conference office will honor one male and one female student-athlete from each institution at the end of the school year.

A complete list of the 2008 All-Big Ten team and postseason honorees appears below.

Athlete of the Year:  Bryan Koniecko, Ohio State

Freshman of the Year:  Marek Michalicka, Wisconsin

Coach of the Year:  Ty Tucker, Ohio State

2008 All-Big Ten Team                  2008 Sportsmanship Award Honorees 
Ruben Gonzales, Illinois*                Brandon Davis, Illinois
Ryan Rowe, Illinois*                      Dara McLoughlin, Indiana
Thomas Richter, Indiana                Bart van Monsjou, Iowa
Bart van Monsjou, Iowa*               Peter Aarts, Michigan
Matko Maravic, Michigan*              Scott Rasmussen, Michigan State
Raoul Schwark, Minnesota             Tobias Wernet, Minnesota
Bryan Koniecko, Ohio State*          Alex Sanborn, Northwestern
Justin Kronauge, Ohio State*         Drew Eberly, Ohio State
Steven Moneke, Ohio State*          Brendan Lynch, Penn State
Michael James, Penn State            Slavko Bijelica, Purdue
Moritz Baumann, Wisconsin*          Marek Michalicka, Wisconsin
Nolan Polley, Wisconsin
     
*unanimous selection