Overall Record: 20-5
CAA Record: 2-0
Final ITA Ranking: #60
Highest 2012 ITA Ranking: #54, Apr. 10
CAA Championship Finish: L, 4-3 in CAA Championship semifinals vs. #42 UNCW
CAA Co-Coach of the Year: Chase Hodges
CAA Rookie of the Year: Matias Hatem (21-3 Singles Record)
All-CAA First Team Singles: Matias Hatem, Victor Valente (16-5 Singles Record)
All-CAA Second Team Singles: Thomas Cook (17-7 Singles Record)
All-CAA Second Team Doubles: Thomas Cook and Matias Hatem (6-5 Record), Juan Pablo Gutierrez and Victor Valente (9-1 Record)
GSU All-Academic Team: Lucas Santana
ATLANTA--With a second straight 20-win season, the Georgia State men's tennis team continued its progression into a nationally-recognized program in the years to come with a successful 2012 campaign.
The Panthers earned a 20-5 record with a roster that featured one senior and six underclassmen, including five freshmen. Georgia State's second straight 20-win season came under the leadership of third-year head coach Chase Hodges. Under the direction of Hodges, GSU has put together its best three-year run in school history with a 56-17 record since the start of the 2010 campaign.
For a second-consecutive year, GSU's season was cut short in the CAA Championship semifinals with a narrow loss to UNCW. The Panthers fell 4-3 this season despite taking the doubles point and finished the year ranked No. 60 in the ITA Men's National Team Rankings. The No. 60 ranking bested last year's No. 65 finish, but it put Georgia State on the outside looking in when at-large bids were awarded for the 2012 NCAA Championships. The Panthers achieved its highest ranking of No. 54 on Apr. 10.
"It was another solid season for us, our program has been in the national rankings the last 2 years and we feel that we took another step forward this past season," Hodges said, "The foundation has been set for this program to experience a lot of success in the future."
Georgia State was a huge presence on this year's CAA awards list with Hodges and freshman Matias Hatem headlining a big haul for GSU. Hodges earned the 2012 CAA Co-Coach of the Year award and Hatem was named the 2012 CAA Rookie of the Year. It was Hodges' fourth conference coach of the year honor and his first in the CAA after he won three-straight Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year awards from 2007-09.
Hatem was the first Georgia State men's tennis player to earn the CAA Rookie of the Year honor since 2007. The San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina, native posted an outstanding rookie season including a 21-3 record in singles play. Hatem played all of his singles matches in the top four flights, which included earning a 3-2 record at the No. 1 spot, a 10-0 mark at No. 2 and a 6-1 record at the No. 3 position. It was one of the finest freshman seasons in GSU history as he also put together a team-best 15-match winning streak from Feb. 1 to Mar. 31.
Hatem along with junior Victor Valente were named All-CAA First Team Singles members, the second-straight first team honor for Valente. Sophomore Thomas Cook earned All-CAA Second Team Singles laurels and joined Hatem as an All-CAA Second Team Doubles honoree. Senior Juan Pablo Gutierrez and Valente were also both All-CAA Second Team Doubles selections.
While many Panthers were honored with conference awards, several that were not played equally important roles on the 2012 team. In particular, freshmen Ismael Lahlou and Sofiane Chevallier stepped in and provided immediate depth to the Panthers' lineup. Lahlou posted a 15-6 record on the year playing from the No. 3 to No. 6 spots in the singles lineup. Chevallier went 9-4 on the season and paired with Lahlou to earn a 6-3 record in doubles.
Junior Lucas Santana was a steady point for the Panthers towards the end of the season. The Brasilia, Brazil, native battled injuries to start the 2012 campaign including twisting an ankle in the warmup prior to the spring opener. He posted an 8-3 record in singles play and teamed with freshman Jose Ortiz to earn a 5-0 mark in doubles on the season. Santana finished the season on a four-match winning streak in singles play.
On the year, Georgia State faced ranked opponents in six matches and also squared off against seven 2012 NCAA Championship qualifiers. The Panthers went 3-3 on the season against ranked opponents with two of those losses coming by narrow 4-3 margins. Georgia State went an impressive 109-34 in singles matches on the year, a .762 winning percentage.
Valente was Georgia State's lone ranked player throughout the season. He is ranked No. 14 in the Southeast Regional Singles Rankings that were issued on Jan. 3. He defeated four regionally-ranked singles players on the season.
Losing just one member from last year's starting lineup, the Panthers now prepare to take the next steps to success in the 2012-13 season.
"Recruiting is key, with Juan leaving we need to find a guy that will replace him," Hodges said, "I think we are in a great situation with the returning guys. With that being said, actions speak louder than words and those guys have to train that much harder if we want to achieve our goals."
"The ground work has been laid perfectly, and now it's just a matter of executing our plan next season," Hodges continued.
Georgia State begins its 2012-13 campaign with the fall season set to begin in September. Check the men's tennis page on www.GeorgiaStateSports.com for updates throughout the summer.
www.GeorgiaStateSports.com
