Lexington, Ky. ? Following tremendous individual seasons where Kentucky?s Alex Hume and Bruno Agostinelli both received Southeastern Conference honors, the duo was also recognized by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Hume, a senior who garnered first team All-SEC honors, was named Farnsworth/ITA Southeast region Senior Player of the Year while Agostinelli took home the ITA Southeast region Rookie of Year Award.
Hume, a native of Alexandria, Va., became the second consecutive Wildcat to be named Southeast Senior Player of the Year following Jesse Witten. The Cats? highest ranked player, No. 37, had an outstanding senior campaign finishing in a tie with sophomore Marcus Sundh for the team lead in victories with 29. Playing No. 1 for the Cats, Hume recorded seven SEC victories as well as went on a career-best 13-match winning streak from Jan. 28-March 12. Hume totaled nine wins against players currently ranked, including victories over fourth-ranked Lars Poerschke of Baylor and No. 33 Brian Koniecko of Ohio State.
?We are very proud of Alex (Hume),? head coach Dennis Emery said. ?This is one of the most prestigious awards in college tennis that takes into account your improvement over four years and your sportsmanship.
?It?s really good to see Alex rewarded for all his hardwork. He came to Kentucky as a walk-on who wanted to be one our top 6 players and worked his way to be one of the top players in collegiate tennis. It is great to see him (Alex) be recognized for his efforts by the top collegiate coaches.?
Agostinelli, who also was named SEC Freshman of the Year, made an immediate impact for the Cats winning his first seven collegiate matches this past fall; including winning the A2 singles flight at the Middle Tennessee State Fall Invitational in his first tournament.
Over the course of the season, Agostinelli recorded 25 victories and was ranked as high as 32nd on March 20. The Niagara Falls, Canada, native?s conference victories included wins against UT?s Bobby Cameron, ?Bama?s No. 61 Joseph Jung, Auburn?s No. 105 Alex Schweizer and Vandy?s Andy Mack. Agostinelli is currently ranked No. 85 and will challenge for UK?s No. 1 spot in the lineup next season.
?We are very excited about Bruno (Agostinelli) winning this award,? Emery said. ?The Southeast region is one of the toughest year in and year out so this award is really a great honor.?
Hume will return to the courts on May 24 to conclude his UK career at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., where he will compete for the men?s singles championship. Live stats and a recap will be available throughout Hume?s postseason run.
