Quakers Take Home Three Major Honors

FOREST, Va. --- Washington and Lee University sophomore Harry Shepherd and a trio from Guilford College headline the 2018 All-ODAC Men's Tennis Awards. Shepherd earned ODAC Player of the Year honors. Quakers' mentor Dave McCain earned ODAC Coach of the Year laurels, while first-year player Elijah Gregory picked up ODAC Rookie of the Year recognition. Sophomore Tate Godwin made it three major honors for Guilford as he received ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete accolades from the league's sports information directors.

A good balance of returning award winners and new honorees comprise the 2018 All-ODAC lists. Eight players on this year's first team received some form of all-conference ward last season. Godwin repeats as a first teamer at #1 singles, while Washington and Lee's trio of Zack Ely, Thomas Harmon, and March Zheng earn consecutive first team honors. Hampden-Sydney College brothers duo Matthew and Michael Moody repeat as a first team tandem at top-flight doubles.

Bridgewater College's Josh Rodgers and H-SC's Grayson Burns both moved up to the 2018 first team from the 2017 All-ODAC Second Team.

RELATED: 2017 All-ODAC Awards | All-Time All-ODAC

Shepherd, a sophomore from Ridgewood, N.J., put together a stellar season as the Generals' top flight singles player. He went 13-3 combined with between the fall and spring including a 1-1 showing at the USTA/ITA Southeast Regional Championship. This spring, Shepherd went 12-2 all at the #1 singles. He was 6-0 against league competition and added two more wins against ODAC foes in the postseason to lead the Generals to their 37th league crown. In doubles play, Shepherd went 10-5 overall at the top position with two different partners. He and Mitchell Thomas posted a 4-2 record, while Charlie Kittredge joined him for a 6-3 mark. The pair are currently ranked eighth in the South Atlantic Region by the ITA. Shepherd is the fifth-ranked singles player in the region.

McCain completed his eighth season guiding the Quakers' tennis programs. This is the second ODAC top coaching honor of his career, pairing it with the award he received in 2015. McCain has brought each of the past two ODAC Rookie of the Year winners to Greensboro with Godwin in 2017 and Gregory this season. He has led Guilford to top three in the standings each of the past two years, going from 5-10 in 2016 to 12-6 last year and 13-5 this season. That latter mark included a 9-1 run in the ODAC towards the #2 seed in the ODAC Tournament.

Gregory, a freshman from Advance, N.C., pairs this honor with an All-ODAC Second Team selection at #3 singles and an All-ODAC First Team selection with Mason Robb at #2 doubles. He finished the 13-3 in all singles matches this spring, including 8-2 in league player. He was 10-2 from the third flight, adding a victory at #2 and a 2-1 record at #4. He and Robb went 13-3 in doubles play, including 11-1 at #2 and 9-1 in the ODAC. They finished the season on a five match winning streak and 9-1 in their last 10 outings.

Godwin, a sophomore from Chapel Hill, N.C., adds this season ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete Award to a first team honor at #1 singles for the second straight season and last year's top rookie honor. Godwin went 13-3 in singles play, all at the top flight. He was 8-2 against ODAC competition. He went a combined in doubles play, including 6-5 with Graham Pearson. In the classroom, Godwin boasts a 3.99 grade point average as an economics major. A member of the Guilford College Honors Program, he is a three-time Dean's List honoree and has made as many appearances on the Guilford Student-Athlete Honor Roll. He will soon earn his second appointment to the All-ODAC Academic Team.

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.  Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter on Instagram.

2018 ALL-ODAC MEN'S TENNIS AWARDS
ODAC Player of the Year: Harry Shepherd, So., Washington and Lee University
ODAC Coach of the Year: Dave McCain, Guilford College
ODAC Rookie of the Year: Elijah Gregory, Fr., Guilford College
ODAC/Va. Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete: Tate Godwin, So., Guilford College