Photo by: Dylan Heinen
Four Spartans Win Postseason Awards, Baris Named B1G Player of the Year
4/25/2024 1:43:00 PM | Men's Tennis
CHICAGO, ILL. – Four Michigan State Men's Tennis student-athletes received Big Ten postseason awards Thursday, headlined by conference first-teamers sophomore Ozan Baris, the Big Ten Player of the Year and Aristotelis Thanos, the B1G Freshman of the Year.
Graduate student Ronald Hohmann III earned second-team honors while senior Reed Crocker merited the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Baris, who was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year last season, becomes the first Spartan to be named Player of the Year since the award's inception in 1987. The Okemos, Mich., native is ranked ninth in singles by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and as high as fourth, the highest rating of any Big Ten player. He owns a 27-6 singles record, 14-3 in dual matches, 6-0 in B1G play. With junior Max Sheldon he helps form a doubles team that is ranked 16th, as high as first in the nation, after winning the ITA Fall Doubles National Championship in November.
"This team, we set out to do historic things at the beginning of the year, we said we were going to do this and that and it's really cool to see a guy like Ozan, who's really taking the leadership role as a sophomore to get this historic achievement," MSU Head Coach Harry Jadun said. "It's great to see his hard work, dedication, long hours on the court and in the gym pay off but this isn't the end goal for him."
For Thanos, the 23-year-old from Athens, Greece earns his first collegiate honors. Thanos is 12-2 as a Spartan, 5-1 in conference action. He is 7-0 at the No. 3 singles slot and went on a team-high 11-match winning streak from Jan. 19 to April 7. The 2023 Davis Cup Greek National Team selection is the third Spartan to earn B1G Freshman of the Year and makes it consecutive seasons that an MSU player has collected the award.
"Long time coming for Aris, obviously he had to sit out and redshirt last year and he came out hungry this year," said Jadun. "He's a really good competitor and it's really cool to see the coaches recognize that and hopefully he follows the same path that Ozan is on."
Hohmann, a Second-Team Southeastern Conference player in 2023 at LSU, earns his second conference award as a Spartan. The Oyster Bay, N.Y. native was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Feb. 28 for two ranked-win clinching efforts that led the Spartans to the Blue Gray Classic final. Hohmann is 24-14 on the year, the ITA's No. 50 player, as high as No. 11, and has been ranked in doubles all season.
"We're so blessed to have Ronnie come in from LSU and take a chance on this program," Jadun said. "This honor is very well deserved and I'm excited to see what he does in Big Ten's and NCAA's."
Crocker represents the Spartans as their Big Ten Sportsmanship award winner in 2024. The program veteran from Kalamazoo, Mich. is 3-1 on the season in doubles.
"If there was an award for Big Ten good guys, Reed would be first team all-good guy," Jadun said. "He brings a great atmosphere to college tennis and he's be excellent for us all four years."
Jadun was outvoted for Big Ten Men's Tennis Coach of the Year, which was won by conference regular season winner Ohio State's Ty Tucker.
The 19th-ranked Spartans take to the courts for their postseason opener in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals as the three seed and will face sixth-seeded national No. 68 Indiana in Chicago, tomorrow at 5 p.m. ET with the match being streamed on B1G+.
Graduate student Ronald Hohmann III earned second-team honors while senior Reed Crocker merited the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Baris, who was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year last season, becomes the first Spartan to be named Player of the Year since the award's inception in 1987. The Okemos, Mich., native is ranked ninth in singles by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and as high as fourth, the highest rating of any Big Ten player. He owns a 27-6 singles record, 14-3 in dual matches, 6-0 in B1G play. With junior Max Sheldon he helps form a doubles team that is ranked 16th, as high as first in the nation, after winning the ITA Fall Doubles National Championship in November.
"This team, we set out to do historic things at the beginning of the year, we said we were going to do this and that and it's really cool to see a guy like Ozan, who's really taking the leadership role as a sophomore to get this historic achievement," MSU Head Coach Harry Jadun said. "It's great to see his hard work, dedication, long hours on the court and in the gym pay off but this isn't the end goal for him."
The kid from Okemos is your Big Ten Player of the Year❕
— Michigan State Men's Tennis (@MSU_MTennis) April 25, 2024
✅ Ranked as high as #5 in singles, #1 in doubles
✅ Went 6-0 in B1G play
✅ Went 14-3 during the regular season#GoGreen pic.twitter.com/Q0YcK0Ca3Z
For Thanos, the 23-year-old from Athens, Greece earns his first collegiate honors. Thanos is 12-2 as a Spartan, 5-1 in conference action. He is 7-0 at the No. 3 singles slot and went on a team-high 11-match winning streak from Jan. 19 to April 7. The 2023 Davis Cup Greek National Team selection is the third Spartan to earn B1G Freshman of the Year and makes it consecutive seasons that an MSU player has collected the award.
"Long time coming for Aris, obviously he had to sit out and redshirt last year and he came out hungry this year," said Jadun. "He's a really good competitor and it's really cool to see the coaches recognize that and hopefully he follows the same path that Ozan is on."
He is inevitable.#GoGreen pic.twitter.com/yJRcwnoReD
— Michigan State Men's Tennis (@MSU_MTennis) April 25, 2024
Hohmann, a Second-Team Southeastern Conference player in 2023 at LSU, earns his second conference award as a Spartan. The Oyster Bay, N.Y. native was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Feb. 28 for two ranked-win clinching efforts that led the Spartans to the Blue Gray Classic final. Hohmann is 24-14 on the year, the ITA's No. 50 player, as high as No. 11, and has been ranked in doubles all season.
"We're so blessed to have Ronnie come in from LSU and take a chance on this program," Jadun said. "This honor is very well deserved and I'm excited to see what he does in Big Ten's and NCAA's."
Crocker represents the Spartans as their Big Ten Sportsmanship award winner in 2024. The program veteran from Kalamazoo, Mich. is 3-1 on the season in doubles.
"If there was an award for Big Ten good guys, Reed would be first team all-good guy," Jadun said. "He brings a great atmosphere to college tennis and he's be excellent for us all four years."
Jadun was outvoted for Big Ten Men's Tennis Coach of the Year, which was won by conference regular season winner Ohio State's Ty Tucker.
The 19th-ranked Spartans take to the courts for their postseason opener in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals as the three seed and will face sixth-seeded national No. 68 Indiana in Chicago, tomorrow at 5 p.m. ET with the match being streamed on B1G+.
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