Tchoutakian Named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year

Tchoutakian Named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year
Bears place two singles players, one doubles team on All-Big 12 squads.

IRVING, Texas – First-year Baylor men's tennis player Max Tchoutakian was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, the conference announced Wednesday.

Tchoutakian is also joined by junior Julian Lenz on the All-Big 12 singles team. Meanwhile, Lenz and partner Diego Galeano earned a spot on the All-Big 12 doubles squad.

Tchoutakian, ranked No. 58 in the latest ITA singles listings, has produced a 16-8 record overall and a 14-7 mark in dual-match play. He was 2-1 in Big 12 play. The native of Marseille, France, is the sixth Bear to win the conference's newcomer honor, joining Pawel Gajdzik (1998), Jorge Aldrete (1999), Benedikt Dorsch (2003), John Peers (2011) and Patrick Pradella (2013).

Lenz is the No. 2 ranked singles player in the country. He has racked up a 24-7 record overall and a 14-4 mark in dual-match play. The junior has now received his third straight All-Big 12 singles accolade. He went 2-1 in Big 12 play and is 15-6 against ranked foes.

In doubles, Galeano and Lenz are ranked No. 8 in the latest ITA listings. The tandem is 19-1 on the year and boasts an 8-0 record against ranked foes. The pairing went 4-0 in Big 12 play and 6-0 at the top of the doubles lineup for BU. It Galeano's second doubles honor and the first of Lenz's career.

The All-Big 12 tennis teams and awards are selected by the league's head coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes. A total of 12 singles players and six tandems are honored.

Baylor has now had at least two singles players make the All-Big 12 team every year since 2002 and has landed multiple players on the list in 17 of the 19 years of the conference's existence.

In head coach Matt Knoll's 19 seasons, Baylor has a total of 72 all-league honors, including 47 in singles and 25 more in doubles.

The second-ranked Bears will be back in action Friday as they host the opening round of the 2015 NCAA Championships. Baylor will face Bryant at 6 p.m. with the winner advancing to take on the winner of the LSU-UTSA match. The second round contest is scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday.

Following the team portion of the NCAA Championship, Lenz, Tony Lupieri and Tchoutakian will take part in the NCAA Singles Championship, while Lenz and Galeano will play in the doubles draw.

Follow @BaylorMTennis on Twitter scores, news and inside information on the team all season.

Category: Winner
Player of the Year: Axel Alvarez, Oklahoma
Newcomer of the Year: Max Tchoutakian, Baylor