Two Gamecocks Named to All-SEC Teams
May 3, 2017
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Juniors Harrison O’Keefe and Gabriel Friedrich of the No. 19 South Carolina men’s tennis team were named to the All-SEC First Team and All-SEC Second team, respectively, the league office announced Wednesday morning. It marks the first all-conference selection for O’Keefe and the second-consecutive year Friedrich received all-conference honors and the 10th and 11th all-conference awards for South Carolina under head coach Josh Goffi.
O’Keefe is currently ranked No. 67 in singles play and No. 18 in doubles play with teammate Yancy Dennis. Sharing time at the top of the lineup, the Salem, Virginia native is 19-6 in the spring and 8-5 in the SEC. He boasts five wins over ranked opponents and two SEC Athlete of the Week honors. In doubles, he is 17-7 in dual-play notching wins over two top-10 opponents with Dennis.
Friedrich is currently ranked No. 52 in the Oracle/ITA rankings. The Brazilian accumulated a 13-8 overall and a 5-7 record in the SEC, ending the season with four straight wins including a straight-set victory over the nation’s No. 25 singles player. He boasts a 16-6 record in doubles play with three different partners and one win over a ranked pair.
The Gamecocks prepare to travel to Chapel Hill, NC to face East Tennessee State Friday, May 12 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. For more information on South Carolina men’s tennis, follow the team on Twitter and Instagram at gamecockmtennis, or visit GamecocksOnline.com for updates.
First Team All-SEC
Mazen Osama, Alabama
Mike Redlicki, Arkansas
Jose Salazar, Arkansas
Alfredo Perez, Florida
Elliott Orkin, Florida
Nathan Ponwith, Georgia
Jan Zielinski, Georgia
Robert Loeb, Georgia
Wayne Montgomery, Georgia
William Bushamuka, Kentucky
Gustav Hansson, Ole Miss
Nuno Borges, Mississippi State
Harrison O’Keefe, South Carolina
Timo Stodder Tennessee
Arthur Rinderknech, Texas A&M
Second Team All-SEC
Thibault Cancel, Alabama
Max Hinnisdaels, Auburn
Emil Reinberg, Georgia
Beck Pennington, Kentucky
Ryo Matsumura, Kentucky
Jordan Daigle, LSU
Justin Butsch, LSU
Fabian Fallert, Ole Miss
Niclas Braun, Mississippi State
Strahinja Rakic, Mississippi State
Gabriel Friedrich, South Carolina
Valentin Vacherot, Texas A&M
Jordi Arconada, Texas A&M
Cameron Klinger, Vanderbilt
All-Freshman
Thibault Cancel, Alabama
Johannes Ingildsen, Florida
Nathan Ponwith, Georgia
Giovanni Oradini, Mississippi State
Hady Habib, Texas A&M
Valentin Vacherot, Texas A&M
Player of the Year
Nuno Borges, Mississippi State
Freshman of the Year Nathan Ponwith, Georgia
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Vikram Chari, Vanderbilt
Coach of the Year
Manuel Diaz, Georgia
