Six Colonels were named to the 2013 All-Freedom Conference team Thursday afternoon

SIX COLONELS NAMED TO ALL-FREEDOM MEN’S TENNIS TEAMS; WILSON NAMED POY, KRANZ ROY, LEICHT COY

5/16/2013 1:57:00 PM

SIX COLONELS NAMED TO ALL-FREEDOM MEN'S TENNIS TEAMS; WILSON NAMED POY, KRANZ ROY, LEICHT COY

ANNVILLE, PA – Six Wilkes University men's tennis players were named to the 2013 All-Freedom Conference team as announced by the Middle Atlantic Conference Office Thursday afternoon.

Among the six Colonels chosen, Wilkes' Steven Wilson (Bronx, NY/JFK) was named Player of the Year, while Michael Kranz (Depew, NY/Lancaster Central) earned Rookie of the Year honors and head coach Chris Leicht was selected Coach of the Year. Alex Makos (Mansfield, PA/Mansfield) earned a first team nod, while rookies Max Appello (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) and Connor Peckham (Warminster, PA/Central Bucks East) and sophomore Brendon Blachowski (Newtown, PA /Council Rock North) were second team choices.

Wilson, the conference's Rookie of the Year last season, earns his second first team selection and first Player of the Year award after going 14-9 from the No. 1 singles spot. Wilson finished a perfect 5-0 in league matches while teaming with Alex Makos (Mansfield, PA/Mansfield) to go 21-9 from the No. 1 doubles position for Wilkes. Wilson becomes the second Colonel in program history to win the award joining Hassan Shah who was named POY in 2002-2003.

Junior Alex Makos (Mansfield, PA/Mansfield) joined Wilson on the first team for the second consecutive year after finishing his third campaign in the Navy and Gold with a 15-10 overall mark at No. 2 singles. He teamed with Wilson at No. 1 doubles to go 21-9, 15-5 in dual matches which ranks second all-time in a single season at Wilkes.

Kranz became the second straight Rookie of the Year award winner for Wilkes after Wilson collected the honor a year ago. In his first season at Wilkes, Kranz went 20-8 from the No. 3 singles spot, a perfect 5-0 in conference matches. His 10-5 mark in dual play from the No. 3 position ranks sixth in a single season at Wilkes.

Max Appello (Sparta, NJ/Sparta), a second team selection, led all Wilkes single players with a 24-2 overall mark from the No. 4 spot in the Wilkes lineup. Just a freshman, Appello went 15-1 in dual play and a perfect 5-0 in league matches. His 92.3 winning percentage (24-2) ranks fourth all-time in a single season at Wilkes.

Peckham was solid all year at the No. 5 singles position claiming a 17-6 mark on way to his second team selection as a rookie. He went 10-2 in dual matches while teaming with Kranz at No. 2 doubles to go 16-9, 10-4 in dual play in pairs.

Blachowski rounded out the list of Colonels selected to the All-Freedom squads garnering a second team choice. Blachowski was stellar in his second year in the Navy and Gold finishing with a 19-6 mark at No. 5 and 6 singles. The sophomore teamed with Clarke Freeman (York, PA/Central York) to go 19-3 at No. 3 doubles, ranking second in a single season in program history with an 81.8 winning percentage.

Leicht earns his sixth Coach of the Year honors after leading Wilkes to a 16-4 overall record and sixth consecutive Freedom title and NCAA Tournament berth. The Colonels reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history. Leicht has now coached 34 All-Conference selections, five rookies of the year, and two players of the year through his eleven years at the helm of the men's program.

2013 Freedom Men's Tennis All-Conference Team

Player of the Year:        S. Wilson          Wilkes
Rookie of the Year:       M. Kranz           Wilkes
Coach or the Year:        C. Leight          Wilkes

1st Team All-Conference
Tony Bevevino              King's
Mitch Gettis                  FDU-Florham
M. Kranz                       Wilkes
A. Makos                      Wilkes
Jacob Rohring              King's
S. Wilson                     Wilkes

2nd Team All-Conference
M. Apello                      Wilkes
B. Blachowski             Wilkes
Bobby Buttafogo         King's
Daniel Fowler                Eastern
Kevin Kotsack               FDU-Florham
C. Peckham                 Wilkes

Honorable Mention
Chris Dimino                 King's
Marc Ruggia                 Arcadia
Tyler Schultz                 Eastern
Grant Williams               Eastern

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