WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue men's tennis team took home a quartet of Ohio Valley Regional honors from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Athell Bennett capped his stellar career at Purdue as the Ohio Valley Senior Player of the Year and Most Improved Senior. Tomasz Dudek was tabbed Freshman of the Year, while the team garnered the Team Service Award.
Bennett was stellar in singles action this season, posting a park of 16-6, with a 9-2 record in dual play. The senior knocked off five ranked opponents on the year, including a trio of top-10 foes. The Valley Stream, N.Y., native was on a seven-match winning streak when the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bennett climbed all the way up to No. 20 in the ORACLE/ITA poll, the second-highest ranking in Purdue history, behind Jason Marshall.
The senior closed his career with a 72-32 record in singles play, leading the top of the lineup during his final two campaigns, after playing as a No. 5 and 6 as a freshman and sophomore. Bennett is Purdue's first Ohio Valley Senior Player of the Year and second Most Improved Player, behind Ricky Medinilla.
Dudek had an impressive first season at Purdue with a 12-8 record in singles and 7-7 in doubles. The Polish international was an anchor in the back of the lineup with five wins in seven matches at No. 5. In doubles action, Dudek teamed up with Maksymilian Raupuk to win the Purdue Invitational in his first collegiate match.
Purdue has claimed three of the last four Ohio Valley Freshman of the Year honors, following Stephan Koenigsfest and Santiago Galan.
The Boilermakers also earned the Team Service Award. Head coach Pawel Gajdzik and the squad conducted multiple tennis clinics at local elementary schools throughout the year, helping to bring the game to a new generation of students.
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