April 23, 2015

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina senior Kyle Koch (Irmo, S.C./Chapin) was named SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and to the All-SEC Second Team by the league’s men’s tennis coaches, the conference office announced today. Koch is the first Gamecock to claim an “of the Year” award from the SEC and gives the program an All-SEC selection for the third-straight season. He leads the Gamecocks in both singles and doubles victories this season and will finish his career with a myriad of entries in the Gamecock record book.

“I couldn’t be happier for Kyle,” South Carolina head coach Josh Goffi said. “He has been one of the most dedicated student-athletes I’ve ever been around, and these accolades attest to the hard work he has put in. It’s the perfect way to honor his great academic and athletic career at South Carolina.”

Koch’s 26-11 singles record this season marks the best of his career in both wins and winning percentage and came behind a 17-7 dual-match slate playing in the top half of the lineup throughout the season. He dominated the No. 2 spot for the Gamecocks, turning in an 11-4 record in that position, including a 4-2 ledger in SEC action. Koch’s 23-11 doubles records came via three different partners. His pairing with fellow senior Thiago Pinheiro yielded a bulk of his success as the duo is ranked 34th in the nation with a 13-8 record that includes a 10-8 mark in dual matches and four wins against ranked opponents.

In a career that featured at least 20 wins in singles and doubles in three of his four seasons, Koch ranks among the most productive players in program history. He owns eight career school records with 90 doubles wins, 141 doubles matches played, 64 dual-match doubles wins, 101 dual-match doubles matches played, 25 SEC doubles wins, 45 SEC doubles matches played, 48 SEC combined wins and a .593 (48-33) SEC combined winning percentage. In singles, his 85 career wins rank 15th in program history, and with 60 of those coming in dual-match play, he ranks among the program’s top five in that category. Posting a 23-13 singles record in SEC action, Koch’s .639 SEC winning percentage is third-best in program history. He appears in 12 other career top-15 lists for the Gamecocks.

Academically, Koch will graduate this year from the University’s Honors College with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science. He has appeared on the Athletics Director’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List and President’s List numerous semesters and is a three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete.

SEC Awards

Coach of the Year: Steve Denton, Texas A&M

Player of the Year: Gonzales Austin, Vanderbilt

Freshman of the Year: Wayne Montgomery, Georgia

Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Kyle Koch, South Carolina

2015 All-SEC First Team
Lukas Ollert, Auburn
Diego Hidalgo, Florida
Ben Wagland, Georgia
Austin Smith, Georgia
Nathan Pasha, Georgia
Wayne Montgomery, Georgia
Jordan Daigle, LSU
Stefan Lindmark Ole Miss
Nik Scholtz, Ole Miss
Florian Lakat, Mississippi State
Mikelis Libietis, Tennessee
Jeremy Efferding, Texas A&M
Gonzales Austin, Vanderbilt

2015 All-SEC Second Team
Giammarco Micolani, Arkansas
Elliott Orkin, Florida
Beck Pennington, Kentucky
Chris Simpson, LSU
Gustav Hansson, Ole Miss
Rishab Agarwal, Mississippi State
Mate Cutura, Mississippi State
Juan Cruz Estevarena, Mississippi State
Kyle Koch, South Carolina
AJ Catanzariti, Texas A&M
Arthur Rinderknech, Texas A&M
Shane Vinsant, Texas A&M
Daniel Valent, Vanderbilt