April 29, 2004
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Senior Divan Coetzee was named the Mountain West Conference Men’s Player of the Year Wednesday night at the championship banquet in San Diego, Calif. The Lobos also had Coetzee and juniors David Kowalski and Ryan Stotland placed on the 12-member All-Conference singles team. The tandems of Kowalski and Stotland and Coetzee and freshman Hiroud Akhavan were among the six duos named to the All-Conference doubles team.
Coetzee earned his Player of the Year honors after a stellar senior season. Coetzee, the 22nd-ranked player in the nation, compiled an overall record of 35-9 this year including a 17-4 mark in dual matches where he played in the No. 1 position. His 35 wins this season is a UNM record for most wins in a season. He also has 94 career wins, just two away from tying the all-time win record at UNM. Coetzee also posted a 23-12 overall doubles record, including a 15-4 mark in dual matches where he predominantly played at No. 2.
Coetzee’s season also earned him his third consecutive All-Conference singles team honor. Kowalski is now a two-time All-MWC performer, going 23-14 overall this season, including a 13-8 record at No. 2 singles. This is the first bid for Stotland to the singles team. He went 19-13 overall and 13-8 in dual matches splitting his time between the third and fourth spots.
Stotland, an All-Conference doubles team selection last year, made the team for the second consecutive year, this time teaming with Kowalski. The duo went 16-4 in dual matches at No. 1, beating top ranked teams including the No. 9 team in the nation. Coetzee and Akhavan both earned their first doubles team bid after a 14-3 record in dual matches at No. 2.
The 64th-ranked Lobos are the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. They received a bye in the first round and will play the winner of No. 4 BYU and No. 5 Utah tomorrow at 11 a.m.
2004 Mountain West Conference Men’s Tennis All-Conference Team
SINGLES
| Name | Cl. | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| * Shannon Buck | So. | Air Force |
| Tyler McClung | Jr. | Air Force |
| * Erik Nyman | Sr. | BYU |
| #Divan Coetzee | Sr. | New Mexico |
| *David Kowalski | Jr. | New Mexico |
| Ryan Stotland | Jr. | New Mexico |
| Markus Dickhardt | Fr. | San Diego State |
| #Felix Hardt | Sr. | San Diego State |
| *Ryan Redondo | Sr. | San Diego State |
| *Henner Nehles | So. | UNLV |
| *Arivram Salomon | Jr. | UNLV |
| Roeland Brateanu | Sr. | Utah |
* Two-time All-MWC performer
# Three-time All-MWC performer
DOUBLES
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Shannon Buck and Tyler McClung | Air Force |
| Erik Nyman and Nima Roshan | BYU |
| Divan Coetzee and Hiroud Akhavan | New Mexico |
| David Kowalski and Ryan Stotland | New Mexico |
| Ryan Redondo and Felix Hardt | San Diego State |
| Roeland Brateanu/Miron Mann | Utah |
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Divan Coetzee, Sr., New Mexico
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Markus Dickhardt, San Diego State