SAN BRUNO, Calif. – Victories in matches against No. 27 Columbia and No. 40 Harvard led to Pepperdine winning two West Coast Conference Men's Tennis Player of the Week awards. Lasse Poertner won West Coast Conference Singles Player of the Week and Gustavo Ribeiro de Almeida won West Coast Conference Freshman of the Week. Portland's doubles team of Nikola Keremedchiev and Cade Fernando claimed West Coast Conference Doubles Team of the Week.
WEST COAST CONFERENCE SINGLES PLAYER OF THE WEEK – LASSE POERTNER, SO. – PEPPERDINE
Lasse Poertner earned singles victories in both Pepperdine matches last week against Columbia and Harvard, winning one in straight sets. This is Poertner's second time winning Singles Player of the Week and a third time a Wave has won the award.
Also nominated: Tom Garcia, Portland; Jonty Giesen, Pacific
WEST COAST CONFERENCE DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK – NIKOLA KEREMEDCHIEV, SR., CADE FERNANDO, JR., PORTLAND
At No. 1 doubles, Nikola Keremedchiev and Cade Fernando won their sixth straight match after defeating Montana State's Andre Stewart and Camille Chantron, 6-3. This is Portland's first conference weekly award this season.
WEST COAST CONFERENCE FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK – GUSTAVO RIBEIRO de ALMEIDA, FR. – PEPPERDINE
Winning Freshman of the Week for the second time this season, Gustavo Ribeiro de Almeida defeated Harvard's Mitchell Lee in straight sets, helping Pepperdine earn the doubles point against Harvard. The Waves now own seven conference weekly award this season.
Also nominated: Reuben De Klerk, Pacific; Gian Manhas, Portland
2026 West Coast Conference Men’s Tennis Singles Players of the Week
January 20: Oliver Tarvet, San Diego
January 27: Max Wuelfing, LMU
February 3: Lasse Poertner, Pepperdine
February 10: Max Wuelfing, LMU
February 17: Edward Winter, Pepperdine
February 24: Adrien Berrut, San Diego
March 3: Lasse Poertner, Pepperdine
2026 West Coast Conference Men’s Tennis Doubles Teams of the Week
January 20: Manvydas Balciunas and Stian Klaassen, San Diego
January 27: Luca Bluett and John Kim, Santa Clara
February 3: Edward Winter and Hugh Winter, Pepperdine
February 10: Aleksa Pisaric and Lasse Poertner, Pepperdine
February 17: Darius Tamaddon and Cesar Cruz, LMU
February 24: Valentin Faure and Ferran Redza, Santa Clara
March 3: Nikola Keremedchiev and Cade Fernando, Portland
2026 West Coast Conference Men’s Tennis Freshmen of the Week
January 20: Manvydas Balciunas, San Diego
January 27: Kuba Hrynkiewiecz, LMU
February 3: Ferran Redza, Santa Clara
February 10: Gustavo Ribeiro de Almeida, Pepperdine
February 17: Sam Simmonds, Saint Mary's
February 24: Juan Pedro Etchecoin, Saint Mary's
March 3: Gustavo Ribeiro de Almeida, Pepperdine