FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Arkansas' tennis team gained two All-Southeastern Conference selections when the honors were announced Tuesday night, while a Razorback senior was recognized as a member of the SEC Good Works Team.
Junior Rohan Gajjar was a first-team All-SEC pick, while classmate Matt Roberts was a second-team selection. This is the second consecutive year the Hogs have notched two all-conference choices, with Adrians Zguns and Nathan Price earning honors in 2004.
"This is a great honor for Rohan and Matt to be selected to All-SEC team," Razorback head coach Robert Cox said, "It is almost more difficult to get All-SEC than All-American, because the SEC is such a tough conference. It shows how respected (Gajjar and Roberts) are in the SEC. They've had a great year."
Gajjar is 21-14 this season and 6-5 in the SEC, playing in both the No. 1 and No. 2 spots. The Bombay, India native has been nationally ranked all season long and sports six wins over ranked opponents.
Roberts is 26-8 overall this season and 9-2 in league play playing all his matches in the Hogs' No. 3 spot. Roberts is tied for 10th all-time at Arkansas for victories in a season. The Little Rock, Ark. product has won four consecutive matches and has posted wins in nine of his last 11 outings.
Razorback senior Talley Parker was recognized as a member of the 2005 SEC Good Works Team. The Rogers, Ark. native is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, participates in the Razorbacks Against Drunk Driving program and volunteers for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Northwest Arkansas. Parker is a four-year letterman for the Hogs and one of the team's co-captains this season.
Gajjar, Roberts and Parker return to the court with the Razorbacks Thursday at the SEC Tournament in Athens, Ga. The Hogs take on Mississippi State at 3 p.m. Thursday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex on the University of Georgia campus.
First-Team All-SEC *Jesse Witten, Kentucky Catalin Gard, Ole Miss Hamid Mirzadeh, Florida ^Greg Ouellette, Florida Scott Brown, Vanderbilt Tom Eklund, South Carolina Gabor Zoltan Pelva, Auburn John Isner, Georgia Rohan Gajjar, Arkansas Antonio Ruiz, Georgia Ken Skupski, LSU #Mark Growcott/Ken Skupski, LSU #John Isner/Antonio Ruiz, Georgia
Second-Team All-SEC Mark Dietrich, Tennessee Luigi D'Agord, Alabama Joseph Jung, Alabama Mark Growcott, LSU Matic Omerzel, Georgia Chris Brandi, Florida Erling Tveit, Ole Miss Matt Roberts, Arkansas Karim Alayli, Ole Miss Matias Ormaza, Georgia Jesse Witten/Tigran Martirosyan, Kentucky
*-SEC Player of the Year ^-SEC Freshman of the Year #-Tied for position
SEC Co-Coaches of the Year Andy Jackson, Florida Sylvain Guichard, Mississippi State
