Adams and Schafer Earn SEC Honors
April 24, 2014
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina junior Andrew Adams (Laurel, Md./Laurel Springs) earned a spot on the All-SEC Second Team for the second-consecutive season, and Andrew Schafer (Hilton Head Island, S.C./Hilton Head Prep) was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, the league announced today. In voting by the league’s coaches, Adams became the first Gamecock to repeat All-SEC honors since Diego Cubas in 2009 and 2010 and just the fourth Gamecock to do it since South Carolina joined the conference for the 1992 season.
“This is recognition well deserved for both players,” South Carolina head coach Josh Goffi said. “They’ve been two of the more important spots on our team. Andrew Adams stepped into the No. 1 position and delivered signature wins to lead the team late in the season. Andrew Schafer’s win percentage as a freshman is a tremendous accomplishment.”
Ranked No. 58 in the nation, Adams is collecting his third-straight recognition from the league’s coaches as he began his career on the 2012 SEC All-Freshman Team. The junior sat out the fall recovering from an injury, but opened the dual-match season winning seven of his first nine matches. The effort earned him a move into the No. 1 singles position in mid-March, and Adams thrived, winning five of his eight decisions at that spot in the lineup, including three SEC contests. Among his team-high six wins over ranked opponents are two top-20 victories. His straight-set win over then-No. 16 Nik Scholtz of Ole Miss (now ranked ninth in the nation) was the highest ranked win of his career, and he clinched the team’s win over Vanderbilt with a hard-fought win over then-No. 19 Gonzales Austin. Adams also teams with junior Kyle Koch to form the Gameocks’ most productive doubles team with an 11-4 overall record that includes an 8-3 mark in SEC play.
Schafer has put together one of the best freshman seasons in Gamecock history. His team-high 26 singles victories are ranked ninth among South Carolina freshmen all-time, and his .792 dual-match winning percentage (19-5) ranks fourth in the freshman record books. Schafer went 5-3 in SEC action, tying for second on the team in SEC victories. Playing largely in the No. 6 spot in the order, Schafer delivered five match-clinching victories this season, including two in 4-3 wins for the Gamecocks.
The Gamecocks anticipate continuing their season in the NCAA Tournament, which begins on campus sites on May 9. The bracket and sites will be announced on Tue., April 29, at 5 p.m.
2014 All-SEC First Team
Daniil Proskura, Alabama
Florent Diep, Florida
Garrett Brasseaux, Georgia
Austin Smith, Georgia
Nathan Pasha, Georgia
Tom Jomby, Kentucky
Nik Scholtz, Ole Miss
Mikelis Liebietis, Tennessee
Hunter Reese, Tennessee
Harrison Adams, Texas A&M
Shane Vinsant, Texas A&M
Gonzales Austin, Vanderbilt
2014 All-SEC Second Team
Becker O’Shaughnessey, Alabama
Daniel Cochrane, Auburn
Lukas Ollert, Auburn
Maxx Lipman, Florida
Gordon Watson, Florida
Alejandro Gomez, Kentucky
Beck Pennington, Kentucky
Chris Simpson, LSU
Florian Lakat, Mississippi State
Andrew Adams, South Carolina
Jeremy Efferding, Texas A&M
Ryan Lipman, Vanderbilt
2014 SEC All-Freshman Team
Nikko Madregallejo, Alabama
Johan den Toom, Arkansas
Maxx Lipman, Florida
Elliott Orkin, Florida
Jerry Lopez, Kentucky
Justin Butsch, LSU
Florian Lakat, Mississippi State
Andrew Schafer, South Carolina
Coach of the Year
Steve Denton, Texas A&M
Player of the Year
Nik Scholtz, Ole Miss
Freshman of the Year
Florian Lakat, Mississippi State
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Daniil Proskura, Alabama
