The Oglethorpe men's tennis team put a record five players on the All-SAA teams, as voted by the league's coaches and released Wednesday by the conference office. Seniors Walker Benson and Zoe Raymond joined freshman Ameya Dani on the All-SAA first team, while senior Calvin Schneider and freshman Daniel Cohen earned spots on the All-SAA second team. Head coach Paul Danielson garnered the second SAA Coach of the Year honors in program history, as well, and the first of his career.
Danielson garnered the first SAA Coach of the Year award for the program since Peter Howell won the award in 2013. He led the Stormy Petrels to their first SAA championship and their second league regular season crown, guiding the team to an impressive 13-1 overall record and a 5-1 mark in conference play. The Petrels currently sit 12th in the Atlantic South regional rankings and, with their SAA title, advance to the NCAA Division III Tennis Championships as a team for the first time in program history.
Benson garnered his third career All-SAA honor and his second consecutive first-team accolade. He went 9-4 in singles play, including a 4-2 mark in SAA action, and went a combined 8-1 out of the Nos. 2 and 3 spots in the lineup. He also finished strong, going 8-2 in his final 10 matches of the season. He went 8-5 in doubles play over the course of the 2021 campaign with a 4-2 SAA mark in that, as well.
Raymond won his second career All-SAA honor after taking honorable mention in 2018. He holds a perfect 10-0 record on the year, including a 6-0 mark in conference play. He also went 8-5 in doubles, including a 3-3 mark in league play.
Dani joined the Petrels in 2021 and immediately began to serve as an essential member of the squad. He went 7-6 on the year playing entirely out of the top of the lineup. He accumulated a 3-0 mark out of the No. 2 spot and a 4-5 record at No. 1. He also accrued a 4-2 record in SAA play. Dani was a big part of the team's doubles success, going 7-5 overall in doubles with a 5-1 SAA mark.
Schneider earned his first career All-SAA honor in this, his senior season. He was really impressive out of the middle of the lineup, going 11-2 overall and 4-1 in league play. He tallied an 8-1 record out of the No. 4 slot and went 3-1 at No. 3. In addition, his doubles pairings combined to go 9-5 on the season, and he went 7-3 out of the No. 2 doubles slot.
Cohen joined the squad and, like Dani, immediately set about becoming an integral member. He went a perfect 13-0 on the season in singles play, going 9-0 out of the No. 5 slot and 4-0 out of No. 4. He tallied a win in all six of Oglethorpe's conference matches on the singles side. In doubles, he went 9-3 overall and 5-1 in league play, serving as part of doubles duos that went an impressive 6-2 out of the No. 1 slot.
The Petrels wait to find out who they'll play in the first round of the NCAA tournament. They'll compete in the tournament's regional rounds the weekend of May 14-16, and will find out their matchup on May 10.
