CLEVELAND, OH - Denison sophomore Jacob Patterson (Bridgeville, PA/South Fayette) claimed the Player of the Year honor, while Big Red sophomores Ethan Green (Salt Lake City, UT/Skyline) and Kael Shah (Nairobi, Kenya/ES American School Barcelona (Spain)) earned Doubles Team of the Year to highlight the 2024 All-NCAC men's tennis team. Wooster freshman Jay Dixit (Pune, India/Vidya Valley School) earned Newcomer of the Year honors, while Denison's leadership earned the Coaching Staff of the Year honor.
Patterson checked in with a 15-2 dual record this season, including a 4-0 record from the top flight, a 6-0 record at No. 2 and a 5-2 mark in the No. 3 flight. He is the fourth-consecutive and 13th overall Big Red player to be named NCAC Player of the Year. He has now earned two-consecutive All-NCAC first-team certificates and recorded a 3-0 record against conference opponents this season. The 2023 NCAC Newcomer of the Year is ranked 15th in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national rankings. Patterson and senior teammate Andy Mackler (Lake Mary, FL/Seminole) collected second-team all-conference honors in No. 2 doubles this season after posting a 15-0 dual record and a 3-0 mark in NCAC action.
Green and Shah posted an 11-4 doubles record all from the top flight this season, en route to their Doubles Team of the Year honor. This is the fourth overall doubles team honor for the Big Red. The duo went a perfect 6-0 against NCAC opponents and owns the 18th spot in the ITA's national rankings. The duo also each earned a spot on the All-NCAC first team for their singles play at the top three flights. Green went 13-4 in dual matches, while Shah posted a 16-3 mark.
Dixit, who earned All-NCAC first-team honors, tallied an 11-8 dual record, including an 11-7 mark in the No. 1 flight. He is the third Scot to be named NCAC Newcomer of the Year and first since 2004 when Will Morrison collected the honor. The freshman went 5-2 against conference foes in the regular season. Dixit and sophomore teammate Namit Misra (Pune, India/Suryadatta National School) earned All-NCAC third team doubles honors after posting wins at the No. 1, 2 and 3 flights this season.
The remaining singles players earning spots on the All-NCAC first team include Kenyon junior Rishil Kondapaneni (Cumming, GA/South Forsyth) and sophomore teammate Paulo Pocasangre Kreling (Guacimo, Costa Rica/Interamerican High School CATI). Kondapaneni collects his third All-NCAC first-team certificate, while Pocasangre Kreling elevates to the top team after earning a second-team nod last season.
In doubles, Green and Shah are joined on the first team by Kenyon freshman Gianluca Bocanegra (Trujillo, Peru/Montessori International College) and Pocasangre Kreling and Wabash sophomores Augusto Ghidini (Santa Cruz Do Sul, Brazil/Colégio Anglo-Americano) and Cole Shifferly (Decatur, IN/Bellmont). Bocanegra and Pocasangre Kreling played to a 5-4 record this season at the top two flights, while Ghidini and Shifferly earned a 9-7 record this season, including a 5-2 mark against NCAC opponents from the No. 1 flight.
Finally, Denison's coaching staff claimed the 2024 Coaching Staff of the Year honor. Head coach David Schilling and assistants Chris Landauer and Grant MacPherson led the Big Red to a perfect 7-0 mark in NCAC play and currently hold a 19-4 overall record. The team captured their 16th NCAC Championship title and 11th NCAC Tournament title this season and enter the 2024 NCAA Tournament with a first-round bye.