Tar Heels Sweep ACC Men's Tennis Player Awards

CHAPEL HILL—For the first time in program history, North Carolina has swept the 2018 Atlantic Coast Conference men's tennis player awards, with William Blumberg named the ACC Player of the Year and Benjamin Sigouin the ACC Freshman of the Year. The league announced the honors on Thursday.

Blumberg and Sigouin were also named to the All-ACC first team. Senior Robert Kelly and junior Blaine Boyden earned All-ACC third-team honors.

Blumberg, ranked No. 1 nationally in singles and No. 2 in doubles with Kelly, was the ACC and national freshman of the year in 2017. He's 18-3 this spring in singles (10-1 in the ACC), playing at No. 1. He and Kelly are 15-3 in doubles and went 7-0 in ACC play.

"What an amazing accomplishment for him to be ACC Player of the Year in one of the toughest leagues in the country," UNC coach Sam Paul said. "He's an unbelievable talent and he's having a great season. And what an outstanding person he is – his sportsmanship and his leadership, on and off the court, are incredible."

Blumberg, from Greenwich, Conn., is the first Tar Heel named ACC Player of the Year in more than two decades. The last player from UNC to win the honor was David Caldwell, who won three years in a row, from 1994-96. Blumberg is the fifth UNC player overall to win the honor.

No other UNC player has been named both ACC Player of the Year and ACC Freshman of the Year during his career. Sigouin is the sixth player from UNC to win the honor and he gives the Tar Heels back-to-back honors for the first time.

Sigouin, fom Vancouver, is ranked No. 33 in singles. He's 16-3 overall, playing mostly at No. 2. He went 8-1 in ACC play and was the conference player of the week in the final week of the season. In doubles, he's 16-4 overall, playing mostly at the No. 2 spot with Boyden.

"Ben is off to a great start at UNC – he's only been here for four months, and he's settled in well and continues to improve," Paul said. "To be named Freshman of the Year in our conference really says something impressive for his game now and for his future."

Boyden, from Raleigh, earned All-ACC honors for the first time. He's 21-1 in singles this spring, playing mostly at No. 5. He's 11-2 in doubles, 8-2 with Sigouin.

Kelly, the team's only senior, is ranked No. 83 in singles and No. 2 in doubles with Blumberg. He earned All-ACC honors for the third time after being named third team as a sophomore and second team as a junior. A two-time All-America honoree in doubles, he could become just the fourth UNC player to earn All-America honors in three different seasons.

Sixth-ranked UNC, 22-5 this season, opens NCAA Tournament play on May 12, hosting Campbell for a first round match. For a look at the full bracket, click here.

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