SPARTANBURG, S.C. – ETSU’s Dimitri Badra has been named the Southern Conference Men’s Tennis Player of the Year for the second straight season, as the league announced its 2022 awards Wednesday. Bucs coach Martin Stiegwardt earned his first career SoCon Coach of the Year honor, while Furman’s Jamie Connel was named the SoCon Freshman of the Year and the Paladins’ Drew Singerman earned the Don Bunch/Buddy Hartsell Sportsmanship Award.
 
Postseason balloting was conducted by the league’s eight head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes.
 
Badra becomes the eighth player in league history to be named the SoCon Player of the Year multiple times and ETSU’s 10^th selection. The redshirt sophomore from Maracay, Venezuela, who was also the league’s Freshman of the Year last season, is 13-6 in singles play this season, including an 11-5 mark at No. 1, earning first-team All-SoCon singles honors. Badra is a combined 13-7 in doubles play with four different partners, including a 7-4 mark with Francisco Lamas and a 4-0 mark with Juan Jose Vargas. Badras was a five-time SoCon Player of the Week selection this season, matching the league’s single-season record he already shared with teammate Frazier Rengifo, and was the SoCon Player of the Month in March.
 
Stiegwardt earns ETSU’s 10^th SoCon Coach of the Year honor after leading ETSU to a 17-6 overall record and a perfect 7-0 mark for the league’s regular-season title. In addition to Badra, Stiegwardt boasts a squad that includes All-SoCon first-team singles and doubles selection Rengifo; Juan Zabala, who earned first-team doubles and second-team singles honors; Thiago Pernas, who was a second-team All-SoCon selection; and Lamas, who is an All-Freshman pick. Stiegwardt has his Bucs ranked No. 69 nationally as they seek their fourth straight SoCon tournament title this week.
 
Connel is Furman’s sixth SoCon Freshman of the Year selection. The rookie from Edinburgh, Scotland, is a first-team All-SoCon pick in singles play after going 16-5, including a 14-4 mark at No. 2 and a perfect 7-0 run through SoCon play. Connel is 16-4 in doubles action, pairing with Ivan Mitric for a 15-4 record at No. 1 and a 5-2 SoCon mark. The duo was nationally ranked for much of the season and earned first-team All-SoCon honors.
 
Furman’s Singerman earns the Paladins’ sixth Don Bunch/Buddy Hartsell Sportsmanship Award. The graduate student from Louisville, Kentucky, is 13-5 in singles action this season, including an 11-5 record at No. 6. He is 2-1 in doubles play this season.
 
UNCG’s Nico Grewe earned first-team All-SoCon honors in both singles and doubles, as he was joined by Roger Rogoswki on the doubles first team.
 
Samford’s Mohammed Ali Bellalouna and Chattanooga’s Tomas Rodriguez round out the first team in singles.
 
The SoCon Men’s Tennis Championship begins Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Champions Club in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with all eight league teams vying for the title.
 
2022 Southern Conference Player of the Year
Dimitri Badra, R-So., ETSU
 
2022 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year
Jamie Connel, Furman
 
2022 Southern Conference Coach of the Year
Martin Stiegwardt, ETSU
 
2022 Southern Conference Don Bunch/Buddy Hartsell Sportsmanship Award
Drew Singerman, Gr., Furman
 
2022 All-Southern Conference Men’s Tennis
First team
Singles
Dimitri Badra, ETSU
Frazier Rengifo, ETSU
Jamie Connel, Furman
Nico Grewe, UNCG
Mohammed Ali Bellalouna, Samford
Tomas Rodriguez, Chattanooga
Doubles
Frazier Rengifo/Juan Zabala, ETSU
Ivan Mitric/Jamie Connel, Furman
Nico Grewe/Roger Rogowski, UNCG
 
Second team
Singles
Thiago Pernas, ETSU
Juan Zabala, ETSU
Ivan Mitric, Furman
Jim Hendrikx, Samford
Kerim Hyatt, Chattanooga
Simon Labbe, Chattanooga
Doubles
Jim Hendrikx/Mohammed Ali Bellalouna, Samford
Tomas Rodriguez/Peyton Gatti, Chattanooga
Mark Endler/Will Fullett, Wofford
 
All-Freshman
Francisco Lamas, ETSU
Jamie Connel, Furman
Elijah Poritzky, Furman
JB Pickard, Samford
Mark Endler, Wofford
Robbie Young, Wofford