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Somerset, NJ -- Less than two weeks after FDU won its record 14th Northeast Conference (NEC) men’s tennis title, the league’s all-time winningest program was rewarded with a slew of individual hardware.
The top honor went to senior Mehdi Dhouib (Larchmont, NY/Iona Preparatory School), who remarkably became the 11th Knight in the 18-year history of the award to capture NEC Player of the Year accolades.
Dhouib was joined on the awards podium by freshman teammate Justas Trainauskas (Vilnius, Lithuania/Vilnius Simonas Daukantas Gymnasium), who was tabbed NEC Rookie of the Year in voting conducted by the league’s head coaches.
FDU’s Jeff Brandes, who guided the Knights to a second straight conference crown, was voted NEC Coach of the Year by his peers.
Dhouib had built quite an impressive resume during his career at FDU. The Larchmont, NY native claimed the NEC Rookie of the Year award as a freshman in 2018-19 and is now a three-time first team All-NEC performer. Dhouib has won seven straight matches heading into the NCAA Tournament, a streak that includes three wins over fellow All-NEC honorees. He won all three of his NEC Tournament matches in straight sets, highlighted by a 6-2, 6-4 win as FDU held off rival Bryant in the title match, winning 4-3 in an all-time classic at Mercer County Park. Dhouib, who was named to the All-Tournament team for the second straight year, finished the season 7-2 against NEC competition and has compiled a perfect 5-0 record at #1 singles. Career-wise, he has posted a 17-4 conference mark and won 44 total singles matches over his four years. Dhouib was also named to the All-NEC first team in doubles with teammate Niclas Pietsch. He joined current teammate Teodors Pukse (2021), Alex Sarria (2004), two-time winners Daniel Wynne (2005-06) and Philip Stephens (2007-08), and unprecedented four-time honoree Arvis Berzins (2012-15) as Knights who have been recognized as NEC Player of the Year.
Trainauskas stepped into the top half of the FDU singles lineup and performed like a seasoned veteran for the NEC champs, competing everywhere from #1 down to #3 this spring on his way to posting a team-high 13 wins. He went 7-1 at #2 singles and secured #1 singles victories in non-conference play against Navy and Temple. Trainauskas, who hails from Vilnius, Lithuania, won four of his last five NEC matches to close out the season. The jewel of a strong FDU recruiting class, he was named the NEC Rookie of the Month last September, and collected NEC Player & Rookie of the Week accolades on March 10. Trainauskas became FDU’s seventh NEC Rookie of the Year honoree, a list that includes teammate Mehdi Dhouib (2019), along with Albert Nersesyan (2006), Philip Stevens (2007), Matt Gordon (2008), Arvis Berzins (2012) and Jacob Whalley (2014).
Now in his seventh season, Brandes has added on to FDU’s rich men’s tennis tradition, winning the program’s 13th and 14th NEC championships the past two seasons. He had to do it the hard way this past month, leading the third-seeded Knights past #2 St. Francis Brooklyn in the semis and #1 Bryant in the title tilt as the Knights became the lowest seeded men’s team to win it all since Quinnipiac did so as the #3 seed back in 2010. Brandes built a stacked roster this season that includes two NEC Player of the Year honorees (Teodors Pukse and Mehdi Dhouib) and a pair of NEC Rookie of the Year winners (Dhouib and Justas Trainauskas). Prior to Brandes securing the coveted award, legendary FDU head coach Ira Miller (1996, 1998, 2006-08 & 2012) was bestowed with NEC Coach of the Year honors on six occasions during his two stints leading the Knights.
AWARD WINNER HIGHLIGHTS
Those players named to the All-NEC and All-Rookie teams are a diverse group representing 18 different countries.
Of the six All-NEC first team selections, three are underclassmen.
FDU’s Justas Trainauskas (Vilnius, Lithuania/Vilnius Simonas Daukantas Gymnasium) - the NEC Rookie of the Year - was the lone freshman to garner All-NEC status with his selection to the first team.
FDU senior Mehdi Dhouib (Larchmont, NY/Iona Preparatory School) and Sacred Heart senior William Wibmer (Maldonado, Uruguay/St. Joseph Mary College) were both recognized as All-NEC performers for the third time in their respective careers. Dhouib picked up his third straight first team accolade en route to being named NEC Player of the Year, while Wibmer sandwiched first team honors in 2019 and 2022 around second team plaudits in 2021.
Merrimack sophomore Jan Semerak (Teplice nad Metuji, Czech Republic) repeated as a first team All-NEC honoree for the Warriors. He was the NEC Co-Rookie of the Year last season, an award he shared with St. Francis Brooklyn’s Gustavo Pinho (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Colégio Ateneu). Pinho also made it back-to-back all-star appearances, adding a second team honor to his first team laurels from 2020-21.
Bryant, FDU and St. Francis Brooklyn led the way with three All-NEC singles picks apiece. LIU, Merrimack and Sacred Heart each sported one honoree.
Representing a first year LIU program that reached the NEC semis, grad student Ben Brandherm (Berlin, Germany/Northwood) landed a spot on the first team, while teammates Alessandro D’Anna (Palermo, Italy) and Philip Hilble (Sydney, Australia/Scecgs Redlands) were voted to the six-player All-Rookie squad. LIU was the lone program with multiple All-Rookie selections.
Sophomore Diego Serra Sparrow (Lima, Peru/Santa Maria Marianistas) became Bryant’s 22nd first team honoree over the last decade, the most among NEC schools. Junior Teague Burger (Steamboat Springs, CO/Steamboat Springs) and senior Andrew Pregel (Cincinnati, OH/Indian Hill) were second team all-stars for the NEC runner-up Bulldogs.
Dhouib and redshirt senior Niclas Pietsch (Berlin, Germany/Otto Nagel Gymnasium) were the lone doubles team to repeat as NEC all-stars. The duo went a perfect 6-0 in NEC play manning the #1 spot to earn a place on the first team. The duo were second teamers last season.
Wibmer has now taken home All-NEC doubles second team honors three straight years for SHU, each time with a different partner. He teamed with Seiji Hosokawa in 2019 and Cameron Goldstein in 2021, before forming a pairing this season with Lefteri Apostolou (Barquisimeto, Venezuela/Es International School).
LIU’s Alessandro D’Anna (Palermo, Italy) paces the circuit with 26 wins on the season against just eight defeats. He joined teammate Philip Hilble (Sydney, Australia/Scecgs Redlands) on the All-Rookie squad.
This marked the fourth year that All-NEC honors were awarded without flight designations.
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 41st season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout seven states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Boston (#9), Baltimore (#26), Hartford/New Haven (#33) and Providence (#53). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions in 2022-23 will include Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, Merrimack, Mount St. Mary’s, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.
2022 NEC Men's Tennis Award Winners
NEC Player of the Year
Mehdi Dhouib FDU Sr Larchmont, NY/Iona Preparatory School
NEC Rookie of the Year
Justas Trainauskas FDU Fr Vilnius, Lithuania/Vilnius Simonas Daukantas Gymnasium
NEC Coach of the Year
Jeff Brandes FDU 7th season
2022 NEC Men's Tennis First Team All-Conference
Singles
Name School Yr Hometown/High School
Ben Brandherm LIU Gr Berlin, Germany/Northwood
Mehdi Dhouib FDU Sr Larchmont, NY/Iona Preparatory School
Jan Semerak Merrimack So Teplice nad Metuji, Czech Republic
Diego Serra Sparrow Bryant So Lima, Peru/Santa Maria Marianistas
Justas Trainauskas FDU Fr Vilnius, Lithuania/Vilnius Simonas Daukantas Gymnasium
William Wibmer Sacred Heart Sr Maldonado, Uruguay/St. Joseph Mary College
Doubles
Name School Yr Hometown/High School
Diego Serra Sparrow Bryant So Lima, Peru/Santa Maria Marianistas
Diego Trejo Bryant So Dallas, TX/Jesuit Dallas/Nebraska Univ. High
Mehdi Dhouib FDU Sr Larchmont, NY/Iona Preparatory School
Niclas Pietsch FDU R-Sr Berlin, Germany/Otto Nagel Gymnasium
Jan Godfrey Seno St. Francis Brooklyn Gr Bogo City, Cebu, Philippines/University of San Carlos
William Lindqvist Nilsson St. Francis Brooklyn Gr Skane, Sweden/De La Gardie Gymnasiet
2022 NEC Men’s Tennis Second Team All-Conference
Singles
Name School Yr Hometown/High School
Teague Burger Bryant Jr Steamboat Springs, CO/Steamboat Springs
Miroslav Cvjetan St. Francis Brooklyn Sr Belgrade, Serbia/Kreativno Pero (Florida Southern)
Jan Godfrey Seno St. Francis Brooklyn Gr Bogo City, Cebu, Philippines/University of San Carlos
Gustavo Pinho St. Francis Brooklyn So Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Colégio Ateneu
Andrew Pregel Bryant Sr Cincinnati, OH/Indian Hill
Arjun Sriram FDU So Bangalore, India/Chrysalis
Doubles
Name School Yr Hometown/High School
Grant Pertile Bryant Gr Edgartown, MA/Laurel Springs (CA)
Andrew Pregel Bryant Sr Cincinnati, OH/Indian Hill
Jonathan Garcia Merrimack Sr Dublin, Ireland/Donabate CC
Jan Semerak Merrimack So Teplice nad Metuji, Czech Republic
Lefteri Apostolou Sacred Heart So Barquisimeto, Venezuela/Es International School
William Wibmer Sacred Heart Sr Maldonado, Uruguay/St. Joseph Mary College
2022 NEC Men’s Tennis All-Rookie Team
Name School Yr Hometown/High School
Alessandro D’Anna LIU Fr Palermo, Italy
Philip Hilble LIU Fr Sydney, Australia/Scecgs Redlands
Leonardo Mileikowsky Bryant Fr Belgium
Justas Trainauskas FDU Fr Vilnius, Lithuania/Vilnius Simonas Daukantas Gymnasium
Matyas Vencl Sacred Heart Fr Horomerice, Czech Republic/Intl. School of Prague
Filippos Zachiotis Mount St. Mary’s Fr Athens, Greece/Athinaiki Agigi & Paideia