CANTON, Ga. - The Southern Athletic Association has announced the Men’s Tennis All-Conference honorees and major award winners.
The Southern Athletic Association has named Kishan Kersten of Trinity University as the 2026 Athlete of the Year. Kersten delivered an outstanding Spring campaign, posting a 10-6 overall record while remaining undefeated in conference play. He currently ranks No. 4 in the West Region Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings — the highest mark among all SAA competitors. Building on his success, Kersten also had an impressive Fall season, capturing the ITA Regional title and advancing to the ITA Cup, earning All-American honors.
Samuel Schroerlucke of Sewanee has been named the Southern Athletic Association Rookie of the Year. The first-year standout has put together an impressive debut season, posting a 13-1 record at line three in singles. In conference play, he holds a strong 4-1 mark. Schroerlucke has also excelled in doubles competition, compiling a 13-3 record at line one, including an undefeated run in conference matches. His performance played a key role in helping Sewanee secure the SAA regular season title.
The Southern Athletic Association has named the coaching staffs of Rhodes and Sewanee as the Co-Coaching Staffs of the Year.
Rhodes, led by Tyler Cempre, finished the season with an 11-7-3 overall record and a 4-3 mark in SAA play, earning the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament.
Sewanee, under the leadership of Hamza Khan, captured its 12th regular season title. The Tigers secured the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament after posting an undefeated conference record and an impressive 19-1 overall mark.
Athlete of the Year: Kishan Kersten (Trinity)
Rookie of the Year: Samuel Schroerlucke (Sewanee)
Co-Coaching Staff of the Year: Rhodes and Sewanee
First Team All-Conference:
Singles
Kishan Kersten (Trinity)
Oliver Bonovich (Rhodes)
Kellen Simmons (Oglethorpe)
Jake Chapman (Berry)
Jared Perry (Trinity)
Christian Mainella (Rhodes)
Andre-Remi Jakobi (Sewanee)
Doubles
Christo Langford/Joseph Snyman (Southwestern)
Andre-Remi Jakobi/Samuel Schroerlucke (Sewanee)
Jared Perry/Kishan Kersten (Trinity)
Second Team All-Conference:
Singles
Henry Hyden (Sewanee)
Ben Lammert (Sewanee)
Samuel Schroerlucke (Sewanee)
Ethan Flores (Trinity)
Roshin Kamath (Trinity)
Doubles
Jake Chapman/Aiden Benoualid (Berry)
Ethan Flores/Roshin Kamath (Trinity)
Ben Lammert/Drew Rukavina (Sewanee)
All-Sportsmanship Team:
Berry - Aiden Benoualid
Centre - Ty Bush
Millsaps - Sam Tuli
Oglethorpe - Figge Pernfors
Rhodes - Paul Fridman
Sewanee - Henry Hyden
Southwestern - Sebastian Herrera
Trinity - Jared Perry
Previous SAA Award Winners:
Year – Athlete of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Coaching Staff of the Year
2025 - Jordan Theron (SEW), Wesley McClure (HEN), Sewanee
2024 – Jordan Theron (SEW), Henry Hyden (SEW), Felix Mann (SEW)
2023 – Agustin Kalinowski (HDX), Oliver Bonovich (RHO), Tyler Cempre (RHO)
2022 – Hallet Green (BSC), Quinn Wicklund (SEW), Felix Mann (SEW)
2021 – Hallet Green (BSC), Daniel Trudell (RHO), Paul Danielson (OU)
2020 – none
2019 – Andres Carro (SEW), Brandon Kali (SEW), Felix Mann (SEW)
2018 – Jack Gray (SEW), Arpit Maini (CEN), John Shackelford (SEW)
2017 – Diego Marti Vetiz (MIL), Ricky Chatterjee (RHO), Jason Box (MIL)
2016 – CJ Antonio (OU), Jack Gray (SEW), Jimmy Weinacker (BSC)
2015 – Avery Schober (SEW), Diego Marti Vertiz (MIL), Jason Box (MIL)
2014 – Avery Schober (SEW), Avery Schober (SEW), John Shackelford (SEW)
2013 – Malte Schick (MIL), Connor Winkler (SEW), Peter Howell (OU)
For more information on all things SAA, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the SAA's home on the internet at
www.saa-sports.com. Be sure to stay up to date on all of your Southern Athletic Association news by following @SAA_Sports on Twitter (X) and @SAA_Sports on Instagram.