Mercier, Hall also Receive Honors

FOREST, Va. --- Hampden-Sydney College top singles player, Rich Pugh, continued the string of Tigers earning the ODAC’s top award as he was tabbed the ODAC Player of the Year as part of the 2011 All-ODAC Men’s Tennis awards.  Bridgewater College mentor Conor Smith was tabbed the ODAC Coach of the Year, and Guilford College’s Tyler Mercier was named the ODAC Rookie of the Year.  Washington and Lee University’s Will Hall secured the ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award in a vote of the league’s sports information directors.  Bridgewater was chosen as the recipient of the team sportsmanship award.

Pugh, a senior from Augusta, Ga., helped the Tigers return to the ODAC title match for the fourth straight year.  Pugh went through the conference regular season unscathed, posting a 6-0 league record from the top singles ladder position.  He went 7-2 overall, all at No. 1 singles.  He and teammate Tal Covington went 7-8 overall at No. 1 doubles, including a 5-4 showing against ODAC competition.  Pugh is currently ranked 20^th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Atlantic South Region rankings.  He went 1-1 this season against fellow ranked opponents, including a 6-3, 6-3 win over Washington and Lee’s Hayden White (currently 6^th) early this season.

Smith, in his third year guiding the Eagles, enjoys his second ODAC top coaching award, having also received the honor in 2009.  He led Bridgewater to the semifinals of the ODAC Tournament for the third straight season.  Bridgewater posted a 14-7 overall record and 7-2 conference mark to finish third in the league for the third consecutive year.  The 14 wins are the program’s most since the NCAA began awarding automatic qualifiers in men’s tennis following the 2006 campaign.

Mercier, a freshman from Bennington, Neb., stepped right into the Quakers’ top spot and excelled from the start.  He earned the ODAC’s first Player of the Week award in late-February, and ended the year on the same note be picking up his second weekly award in the final regular season week of the year.  Mercier went 13-3 on the season, including a 12-3 showing at No. 1 singles.  He went 8-1 in conference play with his only loss coming to White from Washington and Lee.  He and teammate Clayton Hamilton went 12-4 overall at No. 1 doubles.  They posted a 6-2 record against ODAC competition.

Hall, a senior from Cape Elizabeth, Maine, starred both on and off the court for the Generals.  In the classroom, Hall boasts a 3.915 grade point average as a Mathematics major.  He is a multiple honoree as both a Washington and Lee and ODAC scholar-athlete, having been named to the All-ODAC Academic Team each of the three previous years.  On the court, Hall adds his All-ODAC First Team honor at No. 3 singles this season to first team accolades at No. 4 singles and No. 2 doubles in 2010.  Hall, who saw his season end early due to injury, finished the year with a 6-1 singles record (5-0 ODAC) and a 8-3 doubles mark (7-1 ODAC).

Listed below are the complete 2011 All-ODAC Men’s Tennis Teams.  For more information, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC’s home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.  

2011 ODAC MEN’S TENNIS ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
Player of the Year: Rich Pugh, Hampden-Sydney
Coach of the Year: Conor Smith, Bridgewater
Freshman of the Year: Tyler Mercier, Guilford
ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete: Will Hall, Washington and Lee
Team Sportsmanship Award: Bridgewater College

All-ODAC First Team
#1 Singles: Rich Pugh, Hampden-Sydney
#1 Singles: Hayden White, Washington and Lee
#2 Singles: Jeremy Becht, Washington and Lee
#2 Singles: Shad Harrell, Hampden-Sydney
#3 Singles: Will Hall, Washington and Lee
#4 Singles: Michael Freeman, Washington and Lee
#5 Singles: Jonathan Gaffney, Washington and Lee
#6 Singles: Ben Fass, Washington and Lee
#1 Doubles: James Lee/Jon Roy, Roanoke
#1 Doubles: Matt Nelson/Chip Wintringham, Emory & Henry
#2 Doubles: Kevin Calhoun/Shad Harrell, Hampden-Sydney
#3 Doubles: Michael Freeman/Hayden White, Washington and Lee

All-ODAC Second Team
#1 Singles: Peter Hawkins, Bridgewater
#1 Singles: Tyler Mercier, Guilford
#2 Singles: James Lee, Roanoke
#3 Singles: Matt Nelson, Emory & Henry
#4 Singles: Tal Covington, Hampden-Sydney
#5 Singles: Zack Pack, Hampden-Sydney
#6 Singles: Ian Sammler, Hampden-Sydney
#1 Doubles: Clayton Hamilton/Tyler Mercier, Guilford
#2 Doubles: Jeremy Becht/Jonathan Gaffney, Washington and Lee
#3 Doubles: Donnie Greathouse/Jamie Griffin, Virginia Wesleyan

All-ODAC Honorable Mention
Tim Gower, Bridgewater
Adam Henderson, Emory & Henry
Ben Nelson, Guilford
Kevin Calhoun, Hampden-Sydney
Jim Rochow, Lynchburg
Teague Nelson, Randolph
Brian Roberts, Washington and Lee