KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Following a perfect 7-0 Mid-American Conference record and a regular season and tournament championship, Western Michigan head men's tennis coach Dave Morin has been named the MAC Coach of the Year while senior Maik Steiner received the MAC Player of the Year award. Along with Steiner, three other Bronco players received All-MAC honors, the most of any school in the league.

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Morin earned his 10th MAC Coach of the Year honor in 22 seasons at the helm. He has created a team culture of pursuing excellence, racking up 21 total Mid-American Conference championships with nine regular season and 12 MAC Tournament tiles that led to 12 appearances in the NCAA Tournament. This season, the Broncos are at 22-4 overall, marking the fifth time in Morin's career he has led his team to 20 wins and 16 straight winning seasons.

For Steiner, this is his first MAC Player of the Year honor as the senior came up just short during his freshman year with the Broncos. The team captain becomes the eighth player in program history and first since Nadin Indrew in 2012 to earn the award. Steiner has been the No. 1 player for the Broncos all year as he is tied for first on the team with 30 singles victories and has gone 17-5 during his dual-matches. The German also went a perfect 7-0 during conference play and won both of his matches in the conference tournament, helping WMU claim its ninth conference tournament title in the last 13 years. Steiner, who was also named to the All-MAC First Team, enters the tournament on a 10-match winning streak.

Sophomore Jannik Opitz joins Steiner to the All-MAC First Team as he enters the NCAA Tournament with a 30-9 overall singles record and a 19-4 spring record and is riding a team-high 12-match winning streak. Opitz has played primarily at No. 2 and No. 3 singles for the Broncos during the season and posted an impressive 7-0 record at No. 2 against MAC opponents. He also played at one, two and three doubles with a 15-7 overall record and was named Tournament MVP after serving as the match-clincher against Buffalo at two in the championship match.

Two more players earned second team honors including junior Lenhard Haupt and sophomore Kennosuke Nouchi. Haupt, a transfer from USC Upstate, is 27-11 in singles, playing primarily at three and four with a combined record of 17-5 at the spots. Haupt also went 6-1 in league play and is 9-1 in his last 10 matches.

Nouchi, last year's Newcomer of the Year, posted a 11-11 overall record at No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 singles, including 4-3 in the MAC, and a 15-7 overall record at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 doubles, including 3-2 in the MAC. 

The Broncos seek their first win in the NCAA Tournament next Friday, May 12 as they take on No. 24 Notre Dame in Ann Arbor, Mich. during the opening round.
 
2018 All-MAC MEN'S TENNIS

FIRST TEAM
Maik Steiner, Western Michigan
*Hao Sheng Koay, Buffalo
Jannik Opitz, Western Michigan
Kristopher Ortega, Northern Illinois
^Villheim Fridell, Buffalo
Eric Marbach, Northern Illinois
 
SECOND TEAM:
*Kennosuke Nouchi, Western Michigan
Marko Guzina, Ball State
Nemanja Guzina, Ball State
Lenhard Haupt, Western Michigan
Ethan Nittolo, Buffalo
^Kushaan Nath, Binghamton
 
*2017 All-MAC First Team
^2017 All-MAC Second Team
 
#2016 All-MAC First Team
~2016 All-MAC Second Team