SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - For the first time in league history, there was a time for the West Coast Conference Men's Tennis Player of the Year award as Pepperdine's Daniel De Jonge and Portland's Sema Pankin shared the honor. In addition, San Diego's Oliver Tarvet was named the Freshman of the Year, and his coach, Ryan Keckley won Coach of the Year.
Each All-WCC team and individual honors are voted on solely by the head coaches of each WCC men’s tennis team.
De Jonge led the way for Pepperdine to claim a share of the 2023 WCC Regular Season Championship. Ranked No. 64 in the ITA rankings, De Jonge went 16-12 in singles matches this season and 17-12 in doubles with his partner Tim Zeitvogel. The tandem ranks No. 54 in the ITA doubles rankings. He became the first Wave to win the award since Alex Sarkissian in 2014.
Pankin is the first Pilot to win Player of the Year since won it back-to-back years in 2017 and 2018. Pankin went 23-9 in singles matches this season, including 14-5 on the No. 1 court. He enters the WCC Tournament enjoying an eight-match winning streak. He led the Pilots to a No. 4 seed in the tournament, winning two of their last three matches to clinch a spot in the tournament.
Tarvet is the second-straight Torero to win Freshman of the Year after Iiro Vasa won it last season. It's the first time since 2009-10 (Pepperdine) that a team won back-to-back WCC Freshman of the Year honors. Tarvet went 13-5 in singles matches this season, including winning seven of his first eight matches.
Keckley guided San Diego to a share of the WCC regular season championship this season with an 8-1 dual record in conference play. He has led the Toreros to WCC Tournament titles in each of the five years the Conference has hosted the tournament since he has been the head coach at San Diego. The WCC did not host a men’s tennis tournament in 2020 or 2021. This is Keckley’s fourth WCC Coach of the Year honor and second straight.
Two Waves and two Toreros made the WCC All-Conference First Team, as De Jonge, Pankin and Tarvet were also all first-team honorees along with Iiro Vasa from San Diego, James Watt from Saint Mary's and Tim Zeitvogel from Pepperdine.
De Jonge and Pankin also earned first-team honors in doubles as De Jonge and Zeitvogel picked up the accolades as a tandem as did Pankin with is partner Eleftherios Neos. Rounding out the first team were Vasa and Sacchitt Sharrma from San Diego.
2023 WCC Men's Tennis Major Honors
Co-Player of the Year: Daniel De Jonge, Pepperdine
Co-Player of the Year: Sema Pankin, Portland
Freshman of the Year: Oliver Tarvet, San Diego
Coach of the Year: Ryan Keckley, San Diego
2023 All-WCC First Team Singles
Daniel De Jonge, Pepperdine
Sema Pankin, Portland
Oliver Tarvet, San Diego
Iiro Vasa, San Diego
James Watt, Saint Mary's
Tim Zeitvogel, Pepperdine
2023 All-WCC Second Team Singles
Ran Amar, Pacific
Christian Lerby, Santa Clara
Eleftherios Neos, Portland
Arthur Pantino, LMU
Sasha Trkulja, Gonzaga
Eero Vasa, Pepperdine
2023 All-WCC Honorable Mention Singles
Jack Barnett, BYU
Arthus De La Bassetiere, Gonzaga
Moritz Hoffmann, San Francisco
Maxi Homberg, Pepperdine
Stian Klaassen, San Diego
Arthur Neuhaus, Santa Clara
Sacchitt Sharrma, San Diego
Wally Thayne, BYU
2023 All-WCC First Team Doubles
Daniel De Jonge and Tim Zeitvogel, Pepperdine
Sema Pankin and Eleftherios Neos, Portland
Sacchitt Sharrma and Iiro Vasa, San Diego
2023 All-WCC Second Team Doubles
Jack Barnett and Wally Thayne, BYU
Matthew Hollingworth and Sasha Trkulja, Gonzaga
Arthur Neuhaus and Guillaume Dalmasso, Santa Clara
2023 All-WCC Honorable Mention Doubles
Maxi Homberg and Eero Vasa, Pepperdine?
Carlos Ramos and James Watt, Saint Mary's
Oliver Tarvet and Stian Klaassen, San Diego
Emin Torlic and Arthur Pantino, LMU