Newport News, Va. – The Atlantic 10 Conference announce its year-end men's tennis awards on Monday afternoon and Dayton senior
Jordan Benjamin headlined the awards by being named as the conference's Most Outstanding Performer. Benjamin also won the honor last season, marking back-to-back Player of the Year awards for the Fairport, N.Y. native and becoming only the fifth player to win the A-10 Conference top award in back-to-back year. Senior
Langford Hills and junior
Spencer Richey were also recognized by the league as top performers, as Hills earned First Team All-Conference honors and Richey being named Second Team All-Conference.
Benjamin leaves Dayton as the most decorated player in Flyers history with two Atlantic 10 Player of the Year awards and also becoming the first player in program history to qualify for the NCAA Tournament last season. He also has been ranked as high as No. 77 in the ITA men's singles rankings, which is also a program record. Benjamin went 15-5 in singles play at the top spot of the lineup and also posted a 10-3 mark at No. 1 doubles with
Spencer Richey as his partner. Benjamin spoke about closing out his Dayton career with such a prestigious accolade, "It means a lot to me to be recognized as the top player in the conference for the second straight season. I set this goal before the season and knew it wouldn't come easy without hard work and sacrifice. I'm extremely happy that I could close this chapter of my life with another notch in my belt."
Hills earned First Team All-Conference honors after going 14-3 at the No. 2 spot in the singles lineup this spring, giving Dayton the most formidable 1-2 punch at top of the lineup in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Hills joined Dayton as a grad transfer from the University of Alabama and made the most of his one year of eligibility by racking up wins and accolades. In addition to his First Team All-Conference recognition, Hills also earned the team's Best Mental Attitude award for his strong presence and leadership in the lineup, as well as having a positive mental makeup that served as a positive example for the younger players on the roster. Hills mentioned how much it meant to him to close out his career at Dayton, "Finishing out my collegiate career being named First Team All-Conference is an incredible honor and being able to represent a place as special as the University of Dayton only makes that achievement even more special. This year has blessed me with experiences and relationships that I'll cherish forever. Thank you, Dayton."
Like Hills, Richey also joined Dayton as a transfer from Alabama on his way to Atlantic 10 Conference honors. Richey teamed up with
Jordan Benjamin and the duo was a force at the top spot of the doubles lineup, compiling a 10-3 mark at No. 1 to help set the tone for each match. Richey also proved to be a handful for opponents in singles play with a 10-5 record at the No. 3 spot in the lineup. "It's great to be recognized by the conference for the hard work we put in this year. Receiving honors will serve as good motivation to continue putting in the working this summer to repeat next year and help push the team, as well." Richey headlines a group of returners that saw regular time in the singles lineup this season that includes
Steven Karl,
Joe DeMarco,
Will Harper and
Parker Banning.
The full list of 2019 Atlantic 10 men's tennis awards can be found
HERE.
