April 28, 2011

Burke Named Ivy League Rookie of the Year; Azargui also Named All-Ivy

PROVIDENCE, RI – Freshman men's tennis player Brandon Burke (Kingston, Jamaica) has been named the 2011 Ivy League Rookie of the Year in a vote by the League's eight head coaches. In addition, he has been named Second Team All-Ivy in both singles and doubles, along with classmate and doubles partner, Soufiane Azargui (Burlington, Ontario), who earned a spot on the Second Team (doubles). For the first time in Ivy history, the doubles selections were voted on as six individuals rather than three doubles teams, per legislation passed May 2010 from a proposal originated by the men's tennis coaches.

Burke is just the second Brown men's tennis player to ever be named Rookie of the Year, joining Jamie Cerretani '04, who has since enjoyed a successful professional career and is currently ranked #72 on the ATP doubles tour, recently pairing with Adil Shamasdin '05 to win the doubles title at the SA Tennis Open in Johannesburg.

Burke compiled a 19-12 overall singles record, going 11-8 in dual matches, including a 5-2 mark in the Ivy League split between #2 and #3. Burke also went 19-11 in doubles action, pairing with Azargui to post a 12-7 dual record at #1 doubles, including a 3-3 mark in the Ivy League. Azargui was one of the Bears' most consistent performers, earning a 21-4 singles mark and a 22-7 doubles record. He was 5-1 in Ivy League singles matches, playing mostly #5.

First Team All-Ivy
Singles
Andy Gauthier, Sr., Cornell
Jonathan Jaklitsch, Sr., Cornell
Jonathan Pearlman, Jr., Harvard
*Hicham Laalej, Sr., Penn
*Matija Pecotic, So., Princeton
Marc Powers, So., Yale

Doubles
Evan Bernstein, Sr., Cornell
Jonathan Kaklitsch, Sr., Cornell
Xander Centenari, So., Dartmouth
Michael Laser, Jr., Dartmouth
Daniel Hoffman, So., Yale
*Marc Powers, So., Yale

Second Team All-Ivy
Singles
Brandon Burke, Fr., Brown
Haig Schneiderman, Jr., Columbia
Xander Centenari, So., Dartmouth
Augie Bloom, Fr., Princeton
Daniel Hoffman, So., Yale
John Huang, So., Yale

Doubles
Soufiane Azargui, Fr., Brown
Brandon Burke, Fr., Brown
Nathaniel Gery, So., Columbia
Jeremy Feldman, Sr., Cornell
Andy Gauthier, Sr., Cornell
Zach Katz, Fr., Penn

Player of the Year
*Matija Pecotic, So., Princeton

Rookie of the Year
Brandon Burke, Fr., Brown

*Unanimous Selection

Pictured: Brandon Burke '14. Photo by DSPics.net.