Mississippi State’s Sanchez Martinez Named SEC Player of the Year
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State men’s tennis standout Benito Sanchez Martinez has been named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, marking a historic achievement for the program, the SEC announced Thursday.
Sanchez Martinez is only the third Bulldog in history to earn SEC Player of the Year honors. The last was Nuno Borges, who won three consecutive awards from 2017 to 2019. Sanchez Martinez also received First Team All-SEC honors and was named to the All-Tournament Team at the SEC Championship.
The junior from Spain posted an 18-4 dual singles record and achieved as high as No. 5 in the national singles rankings. He is currently on a nine-match winning streak, all against ranked opponents. In doubles, he teamed with Petar Jovanovic to reach No. 1 in the ITA rankings for 13 weeks and maintain a current ranking of No. 8. The duo went 6-3 in SEC doubles matches.
Jovanovic, also recognized on the First Team All-SEC list, played primarily at No. 2 singles, finishing with a 15-4 dual record and 8-2 in SEC play. He accumulated 29 singles victories overall, including 13 against ranked opponents, and contributed 15 doubles wins, with 10 ranked victories. Jovanovic’s performance at No. 1 doubles was key to Mississippi State’s success, posting a 6-3 record in SEC matches.
Other Bulldogs earning all-conference honors include Niccolo Baroni, who received Second Team All-SEC honors for the second straight year, and Mario Martinez Serrano, also a Second Team pick. Baroni recorded a 13-2 dual singles record and went 8-2 in SEC play. Martinez Serrano finished with a 16-6 dual singles record and an 18-7 mark including SEC Tournament matches, adding depth to the Bulldogs’ lineup.
SEC awards also went to LSU’s Olaf Pieczkowski as Freshman of the Year, Georgia’s Will Jansen as Newcomer of the Year, and Texas’ Bruce Berque as Coach of the Year. All honors were voted on by the league’s head coaches.
Mississippi State’s men’s tennis team continues its postseason run, with upcoming matches in the SEC Tournament. For more information, visit HailState.com or follow the team on social media under the handle “HailstateMT.”
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