FRISCO, Texas – The 2017 Southland Conference Co-Champion Lamar University Cardinals dominated the all-conference teams released by the league office Thursday afternoon. Seven different Cardinals received all-conference honors, highlight by four first-team selections.
Seniors
Michael Feucht and
Nikita Lis garnered first-team honors in singles, while Feucht, senior
Juuso Laitinen and juniors
Benny Schweizer and
Logan Powell earned first-team honors in doubles. Schweizer and sophomore
Sebastian Santibanez were named to the Southland's second team in singles play, while Lis and senior
Jeandre Hoogenboezem received second-team honors in doubles.
"I'm very excited about our guys being honored," said LU head coach
Scott Shankles. "I feel it is a well deserving honor for our players who have put in the hard work all season. We're very fortunate to have a team that pushes each other to get better in their individual game. Our guys are good friends and great teammates, and that goes a long way."
Big Red's overall success on the postseason squad comes as no surprise based on the team's success on the court. The Cardinals recorded a share of 2017 Southland title, marking the first time LU has recorded back-to-back titles since the 1975 and 1976 seasons.
The Cardinals (15-7/4-1 SLC) were led by Feucht who posted a team-high 13 singles wins. Feucht, who spent 2017 competing at the No. 1 singles position, closed out the year winning eight of last 10 matches. A repeat winner of the Southland Player of the Week award, Feucht posted a near perfect 4-1 singles record in Southland matches.
He also teamed up with Schweizer to record 12 doubles wins at the No. 2 position. Feucht and Schweizer ended the season winning eight of his last 10 doubles contests. He also recorded two doubles wins with Santibanez.
Lis provided the Red and White with a powerful one-two punch at the top of the singles lineup. Lis finished tied for second on the team with 10 singles victories. A two-time SLC Player of the Week selection, Lis spilt his victories between Nos. 1 and 2 singles, with eight of the wins coming on court two.
Lis teamed up with Hoogenboezem to rank among the league leaders in doubles competition. The duo posted a 14-3 overall record, with 13 of the wins coming at the No. 1 spot. The duo won nine of their last 10 matches, and posted a 3-1 mark in Southland action.
A newcomer to the Cards' roster in 2017, Powell joined up with Laitinen to become the conference's top doubles' team at the No. 3 position. The duo played every match together recording 10 wins overall and a 3-2 conference mark. Laitinen and Powell have been playing some of their best tennis down the final stretch closing the regular season winners in seven of their last 10 matches.
Schweizer battled through injuries all season to garner his second-team honor in singles play from court five. The Manheim, Germany native, closed out the regular season with a 9-5 overall record (between No. 5 and 6 singles), including a near perfect 4-1 mark in Southland competition.
Santibanez saw time at the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 positions during singles play, with the majority of his time coming on court four. He tied for second on the squad with 10 singles victories, including eight at the fourth position.
The Cardinals will begin their defense of last year's Southland tournament title Saturday when they square off against New Orleans in the SLC semifinals. The match will begin at 10 a.m. from the Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center. Admission to the tournament is free.
"Our single mission now has been to win the Southland tournament in front of our fans in our city," said Shankles. "Practice has been good all week. I feel our preparation has been top notch as we've been preparing for Saturday. We are looking forward to hosting the Southland tournament."
-LU CARDINALS-
