Maravic Earns Second Career All-Big Ten Award
4/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
PARK RIDGE, Ill. -- Sophomore Matko Maravic (Zagreb, Croatia/V. Gimnazija) of the University of Michigan men's tennis team was named to the 2006 All-Big Ten Conference team, the league office announced Thursday (April 27). Maravic becomes the first Wolverine to earn All-Big Ten honors in back-to-back seasons since Henry Beam (1999-2002), who received the award in 2001-02.
One of six unanimous selections to this year's All-Big Ten team, Maravic has compiled an overall singles record of 16-17 in 2005-06, including a 10-10 dual match mark (9-10 at No. 1; 1-0 at No. 2). He has defeated five of eight conference opponents and six nationally ranked foes in his second season at Michigan. Maravic has been a permanent fixture in the Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings all year, reaching a season-high ranking of No. 37 on March 7.
Maravic enters the postseason on a high note, as he claimed wins in eight of his final 13 matches of the regular season. His most notable victory during the surge came on March 2, when he upset Pepperdine's then No. 7-ranked Scott Doerner, 7-5, 7-6(8).
Maravic has experienced even more success on the doubles court, as he and junior Brian Hung (Hong Kong, China/Sagemont Virtual School) have teamed together for an overall record of 23-8. The duo holds a team-best 16-5 mark in dual match play at No. 1, including a 7-2 record in the Big Ten. Maravic and Hung have earned victories in 23 of their last 29 matches dating back to the fall season, including wins against six nationally ranked opponents. The tandem is making its case for Michigan's first NCAA All-America nomination since 1994, as it is currently ranked No. 10 in the Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings.
For the second straight year, Hung received his team's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The 11 student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. These student-athletes are now candidates for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, as the conference office will honor one male and one female student-athlete from each institution at the end of the school year.
In addition to his doubles success with Maravic, Hung has collected a 16-8 overall singles record and an 11-11 mark in dual match action (1-1 at No. 1; 8-9 at No. 2; 2-1 at No. 3). He was the lone Wolverine to be named Big Ten Athlete of the Week this season, earning the honor twice (Jan. 25, March 15).
Maravic and Hung will lead 38th-ranked Michigan (12-10, 6-4 Big Ten) into battle at the 2006 Big Ten Championship, held this Thursday through Sunday (April 27-30) at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minn. The fourth-seeded Wolverines drew a first-round bye and will face No. 5 seed Indiana in the quarterfinals on Friday (April 28) at the Baseline Tennis Center (10 a.m. CDT).
Following are the 2006 All-Big Ten Conference awards:
| ALL-BIG TEN TEAM Kevin Anderson, Illinois Ryler DeHeart, Illinois Dmytro Ishtuganov, Indiana Matko Maravic, Michigan Nick Rinks, Michigan State D.J. Geatz, Minnesota Christian Tempke, Northwestern Chris Klingemann, Ohio State Bryan Koniecko, Ohio State Devin Mullings, Ohio State Mark Barry, Penn State Jeremy Sonkin, Wisconsin | Freshman of the Year Bryan Koniecko, Ohio State Athlete of the Year Ryler DeHeart, Illinois Coach of the Year Ty Tucker, Ohio State |
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
