University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Hand recognized as Big South Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year
04.14.2021 | Men's Tennis
Morkel named Scholar-Athlete, Reid Freshman of the Year
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – After guiding the UNC Asheville Men's Tennis program to its first recognized regular-season conference championship, Tom Hand was named the 2021 Big South Coach of the Year as voted on by the league's head coaches. In addition to Hand's honor, five Bulldogs earned all-conference status highlighted by Jon Brann Reid, who was named Big South Freshman of the Year, and Charlie Morkel, who was named the Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second straight year.
"Very proud of all these guys," Hand said of his team. "It's a well-deserved honor for all of them."
Taking over the program in 2013, Hand continues to take the Asheville program to new heights, culminating in this season's perfect 5-0 record in conference play to lead the Bulldogs to their first Big South regular-season title. After this impressive season in which the Bulldogs earned four singles and two doubles all-conference nods, Hand has now guided his players to 15 all-conference singles honors, eight doubles honors, three player of the year awards, two scholar-athlete of the year honors and one freshman of the year award. Hand's other highlights at Asheville prior to this season include: leading the team to its most conference wins (six) in 2016, a Big South Semifinal appearance in 2017, and a doubles national championship in the fall of 2018 at the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships won by three-time Big South Player of the Year Henry Patten and current senior Oli Nolan. The honor is the first of its kind for Hand, becoming just the second UNC Asheville Men's Tennis Coach to earn the award (Lise Gregory, 2012).
"We are so happy for Tom and the UNC Asheville Men's Tennis team," stated Director of Athletics Janet R. Cone. "Tom has continued to elevate this program ever since he stepped foot on campus. To go unbeaten in conference play and capture the regular-season championship is a huge accomplishment, and having his coaching peers select him for this well-deserved honor is a testament to his hard work."
Bran Reid had a stellar first year for the Bulldogs, posting an individual record of 9-2 at flights No. 3-4, including a perfect 5-0 conference record all at flight No. 3. Reid's most crucial victory might have been his three-set battle (6-4, 1-6, 7-5) at Presbyterian which helped lift the Bulldogs to a 4-3 team victory. Reid only went to three sets twice in conference play, capping off the regular season with a three-set win at Gardner-Webb to help Asheville claim the 2021 Big South Championship. In doubles action, Reid teamed up with Morkel to go 7-4 overall and 3-2 in Big South play, competing at the No. 1 flight in all five conference matches. The freshman of the year award earned the Hickory, North Carolina, native First Team All-Conference Singles honors as well.
"I'm delighted for Brann," Hand said of Reid's freshman of the year award. "He has been a tremendous addition to our program and we are all excited to see what he can do next!"
Morkel, who last season became the first UNC Asheville Men's Tennis player to earn the Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, captured the honor for the second straight year while also being named All-Big South First Team in singles action. Morkel's strong season included a 3-2 record in conference play and a 7-5 individual record overall, all at the No. 2 flight. Like Reid, Morkel's 6-3, 6-2 victory over Presbyterian helped Asheville to a narrow 4-3 team victory, ultimately propelling the team to a 5-0 conference record and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Big South Championship. In the classroom, Morkel has no shortage of accolades either, as the Cape Town, South Africa native has earned Chancellor's List honors (4.0 GPA) three times and Dean's List honors twice and is a two-time member of the all-academic team. Serving as a team captain since August, Morkel is a member of the UNC Asheville Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, has volunteered as a tennis coach, is conducting two research projects to present at the UNC Asheville Symposium, interning as a State Farm agent while majoring in economics and stats.
"Charlie receiving the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for the second time is a fantastic testament to his hard work both on and off the court," Hand said.
Joining Morkel and Reid on the first team is senior Oli Nolan, who went 3-2 at the No. 1 singles flight in conference action this season. Hailing from Birmingham, United Kingdom, Nolan won all three of his conference matches in two sets, including a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Victory Putter and a win at No. 2 doubles as Asheville grabbed the regular-season title. For his efforts, Nolan was named Big South Player of the Week.
Leo Bierbaum rounds out the singles honors (second team) for Asheville, while Bierbaum and teammate Harry Thursfield were named to Second Team All-Conference Doubles. A junior from Nurenburg, Germany, Bierbaum posted an overall record of 11-2 at flights No. 3 through 5, going 4-1 against Big South competition. Bierbaum and Thursfield joined forces 11 times this season, posting a record of 8-3 in doubles action, winning four out of five conference matchups.
The Bulldogs will open up action on Friday, April 16 in the 2021 Big South Men's Tennis Championship, facing No. 4 Presbyterian with the winner advancing to Saturday's championship match.
2021 Big South Conference Men's Tennis Award Winners
First Team All-Conference Singles
Max Benson, Jr., Presbyterian College
Yevhen Sirous, Sr., Radford
Guilherme Sergio, Sr., Longwood
Charlie Morkel, Sr., UNC Asheville
Victor Putter, Soph., Gardner-Webb
Nicholas McKinney, Jr., Presbyterian College
Jon Brann Reid, Fr., UNC Asheville
Oli Nolan, Sr., UNC Asheville
First Team All-Conference Doubles
Andres Silva / Demi Taramonlis, Radford
Guilherme Severin / Yevhen Sirous, Radford
Victor Putter / Chrisjan Van Wyk,Gardner-Webb
Max Benson / Georgije Babic, Presbyterian College
Second Team All-Conference Singles
Andres Silva, Jr., Radford
Demi Taramonlis, Soph., Radford
Guilherme Severin, Fr., Radford
Leo Bierbaum, Jr., UNC Asheville
Chrisjan Van Wyk, Fr., Gardner-Webb
Dinos Raptis, Soph., Radford
Javier Matos, Fr., Presbyterian College
Matthew Beecher, Jr., Campbell
Second Team All-Conference Doubles
Benjamin Niv / Matt Beecher, Campbell
Jon Brann Reid / Charlie Morkel, UNC Asheville
Harry Thursfield / Leo Bierbaum, UNC Asheville
Stefano Puga / Breno Plentz, Gardner-Webb
All-Academic Team
Noe Macquart, Soph., Campbell
Victor Putter, Soph., Gardner-Webb
Mathew Foster-Estwick, Gr., Hampton
Guillermo Cagigas, Jr., Longwood
Nicholas McKinney, Jr., Presbyterian College
Yevhen Sirous, Sr., Radford
Charlie Morkel, Sr., UNC Asheville
Player of the Year
Max Benson, Jr., Presbyterian College
Freshman of the Year
Jon Brann Reid, UNC Asheville
Coach of the Year
Tom Hand, UNC Asheville
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Charlie Morkel, Sr., UNC Asheville
Players Mentioned
