College Tennis News - Five Deacs Named to All-ACC Academic Team

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Five members of the Wake Forest men's tennis team, Bar Botzer, Petros Chrysochos, Rrezart Cungu, Alan Gadjiev and Julian Zlobinsky, were recognized by the ACC Friday (June 21), as the All-ACC Academic Team was announced by the league office. The five honorees match a program record for a single season, as five members were also named to the team a season ago.

"We are extremely proud of Bar, Petros, Rrezart, Alan and Julian," said head coach Tony Bresky. "They all had outstanding years, not only on the court but in the classroom as well. It's very rewarding as a coach to see the hard work they put in on a daily basis rewarded by the league with this accolade. It is an amazing accomplishment to be named to the All-ACC Academic Team."

Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one's academic career for undergraduate students. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.

Botzer, Chrysochos and Zlobinsky all garner the honor for the second consecutive year while Cungu and Gadjiev are first-time recipients.

Botzer became the ninth-singles All-American this past season while leading the team with 40 singles wins on the year, second most in Wake Forest single-season history. A Second Team All-ACC selection this year, Botzer advanced to the Round of 16 at the NCAA Singles Championship to secure his All-America status. He was ranked as high as No. 21 in the rankings during the year and compiled a 40-6 record, including 15 wins against ranked opponents. The rising junior ended the year on a 13-match winning streak.

Chrysochos, the ACC men's tennis Scholar Athlete of the Year last season, caps his collegiate career as the most decorated player in program history. The only four-time singles All-American in program history, Chrysochos broke the school record for career singles wins with 136. Chrysochos was named the Carolina Region Senior Player of the Year while also being named a semifinalist for the AAU Sullivan Award, presented annually to the top amateur athlete in the country. He became the first men's tennis player since Arizona State's Sargis Sargsian of Arizona State 1995 to win the three biggest individual titles (NCAA, ITA All-American, ITA Fall Championships) in a career after claiming the ITA National Fall Championships singles title in the fall.

Cungu capped his sophomore season with a 27-15 singles record as a mainstay at the No. 4 singles position. The rising junior picked up a pair of ranked wins during ACC play, defeating No. 96 Gianni Ross of Virginia and No. 109 Josh Peck from North Carolina. Cungu was instrumental to Wake Forest's ACC Championship, as his win over Ross, once again, put Wake Forest up 3-2 en route to a 4-2 championship victory.

Gadjiev collects his first All-ACC Academic Team nod in his final season as a Deac. The doubles specialist led the team with 22 doubles wins on the year and appeared in the ITA doubles rankings with two different partners, rising as high as No. 29 with Borna Gojo. Gadjiev collected the highest-ranked win of his career at the NCAA Championships, partnering with Gojo to upset Texas' fifth-ranked duo in the finale. He ends his Wake Forest career with 40 singles wins and 54 doubles victories.

Zlobinsky, who joined the Deacs as a junior after transferring from Texas, collects his second honor is as many years. The recent graduate contributed in both the singles and doubles lineups, finishing the year 18-6 in singles and 20-9 in doubles. A versatile player, Zlobinsky was ranked with three different doubles partners throughout the year, including a season-high of No. 45 with Botzer.