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Somerset, NJ -- As the franchise player on the league’s most dominant program, Bryant redshirt sophomore Matt Kuhar’s (Smithfield, RI/Smithfield) took his game to another level this year for the Bulldogs. His exceptional play did not go unnoticed by the league’s head coaches, who unanimously chose Kuhar as the 2017 Northeast Conference (NEC) Men’s Tennis Player of the Year. Saint Francis U freshman Franz Luna (Guatemala City, Guatemala/Laurel Springs) was named the NEC Rookie of the Year. Bryant’s Ron Gendron was voted by his peers as NEC Coach of the Year for the fifth straight year after guiding the Bulldogs to a fourth consecutive NEC title last month.
 
Kuhar, a local product who chose to stay home and play for Bryant, became the first NEC Player of the Year in program history. He took the league by storm upon his arrival back in 2014-15, winning NEC Rookie of the Year honors before an injury sidelined him last season. Kuhar came back with a vengeance in 2016-17, posting a 19-6 overall record and 6-0 mark against NEC rivals to help boost the Bulldogs to another league crown. He went 12-3 at the #1 flight, including wins over opponents from Harvard, Cornell and Princeton. The 12 wins tied for the most in the NEC in the #1 spot, and his 19 total victories ranks third on the circuit. Kuhar was a two-time NEC Player of the Month and a two-time NEC Player of the Week. The Smithfield, RI native won all three of his NEC Tournament matches in straight sets and enters the NCAA Tournament on a six-match win streak. Kuhar’s career singles record stands at 37-15, and he is 9-1 lifetime against league rivals. He was also named to the All-NEC first team at #1 doubles with teammate Luke Lorenz.
 
Luna comes off a freshman season to remember on a rising Red Flash program, which advanced to their second straight NEC final as the #2 seed in the tournament. Luna leads all NEC players with 22 wins this season against just six defeats, and his .786 win percentage ranks third in the conference. Luna finished with a 15-3 record in #2 flight play and went 5-0 against NEC competition. The 15 wins are the most in a single flight in the conference this season. He won eight of his last nine matches to close out the year, including a straight set win in the NEC title match against Bryant. One of three freshman tabbed to the All-NEC first team, Luna was a three-time NEC Rookie of the Week and the NEC Player of the Month this past February. The native of Guatemala becomes Saint Francis U’s second NEC Rookie of the Year award winner, joining Elahn Pogue (2010).
 
Gendron continued to push all the right buttons this season as Bryant became fourth school in conference history to win four straight NEC Championships. The Bulldogs went unbeaten in NEC play during the regular season, then posted wins over rivals Fairleigh Dickinson and Saint Francis U in the NEC Tournament to bring home another addition to their growing trophy case. Gendron assembled his annual arduous non-conference slate with the Bulldogs prepping for conference play and competing favorably against a ranked Columbia team, along with Harvard, Indiana, Princeton, Dartmouth and Brown. Under his guidance, Bryant players were honored with All-NEC recognition in all six singles and all three doubles flights. Gendron is the first coach in league annals to be named NEC Coach of the Year five straight times, and is one behind Fairleigh Dickinson’s Ira Miller for the most all-time NEC Coach of the Year honors.
 
AWARD WINNER HIGHLIGHTS
 
In addition to winning two major awards, Bryant was honored in all six singles positions and all three doubles flights. The Bulldogs had four players earn first team All-NEC singles accolades.
 
Of the six All-NEC first team singles spots, three went to freshman performers: Saint Francis U’s Franz Luna (Guatemala City, Guatemala/Laurel Springs) at #2, Bryant’s Guido Argentini (Boca Raton, FL/Magallan Tennis Academy (Spanish River)) at #4 and Fairleigh Dickinson’s Danilo Vukotic (Nis, Serbia) at the #5 flight.
 
Bryant junior Jorge Ortiz-Garcia (Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico/Cupeyville School) earned his third straight first team All-NEC nod at #6 singles. Classmate Luke Lorenz (Colorado Springs, CO/Discovery Canyon Campus) is another three-time All-NEC pick. After collecting first team awards at #3 singles in each of his first two years, he was a second team honoree at #2 singles this season.
 
Saint Francis U junior Alec Dylan Foo-Kune (Phoenix, Mauritius/International Connections Academy) snagged his third All-NEC singles honor with his selection to the second team at #1 singles. He was a second-teamer at #3 in 2015 and a first team all-star at #2 singles a year ago.
 
Fairleigh Dickinson senior Diogo Garnel (Lisbon, Portugal/Carcavelos Tenis) will graduate as a four-time All-NEC honoree in doubles. Following three second team selections, he corralled first team honors along with teammate Pedro Carvalho (Lisbon, Portugal/Secundaria do Restelo).
 
Saint Francis U freshman Arturo Dell’eva (Verona, Italy/Sanchez Casal Tennis Academy) posted a 17-3 record on the year to earn second team All-NEC plaudits at #3 singles. His .850 win percentage was the highest of any NEC competitor with at least 20 matches on the year.
 
Wagner has now placed at least two players on the NEC All-Rookie team in each of the three years since the category was added to the NEC award mix. The Seahawks are the only school that can make that claim. Hans Ohrner (Margate, FL/Coral Springs Christian Academy) and Dylan Walters (Johannesburg, South Africa/St. Stithians Boys’ College) were this year’s honorees for the Green & White.
 
All-Conference award winners represent a total of 10 different countries this year.
 
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 36th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#23), Baltimore (#27), and Hartford/New Haven (#30).  Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat, all @NECsports.