KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's tennis team and head coach Dave Morin announced the 2020 team award winners. The Broncos held an 11-5 record and 1-0 Mid-American Conference mark before the remainder of the campaign was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The awards were voted on by the team, assistant coach Pablo Nuñez and Morin.

Team MVP / Singles Player of the Year: Jannik Opitz
Senior co-captain Jannik Opitz finished with a 20-10 overall record and 11-5 mark from the No. 1 singles position. A native of Hildesheim, Germany, Opitz also played in the top doubles position, going 21-7 overall and 12-4 on the top doubles court. In his final appearance of the year, he earned the 200th victory of his career.
Morin's Take: "Jannik also won these awards in 2019. He kept looking for ways to get better by getting in the best shape of his life.  Playing exclusively at No. 1 singles, he went 11-5, and 20-10 overall. Jannik did it all for us.  He was a team captain, along with junior Zac Faveri, played No. 1 doubles and No. 1 singles and carries a 4.0 GPA. He leads by example and just sees himself as one of the guys. He has a low ego. He was on track to break the all-time career wins record (singles and doubles) set by Michael Calderone before our season got cut short by COVID-19. Calderone finished with 216 total wins while Jannik owns 201. [Calderone 115 singles and 101 doubles wins; Opitz 100 singles and 101 doubles wins.] We're hopeful Jannik will return for another year and close out his career in style; he's already one of the all-time greats to play for the brown and gold."
 
Rookie of the Year: Rodrigo Crespo
Rodrigo Crespo turned in a solid rookie season for the Broncos, tallying 20 singles victories and 17 doubles wins. A native of San Jose, Costa Rica, Crespo went 7-4 in the No. 5 singles position and 2-1 on court four. He had won his last six singles decisions prior to the end of the season. In doubles, Crespo went 2-2 on court two and was 7-2 in the third slot. 
Morin's Take: "Rodrigo had a great first year for us going 20-10 in singles and 17-8 in doubles. He's on track to being an All-MAC performer. I love his attitude and how he puts the team first."

Most Improved: Peter Kuszynski 
A native of Markham, Ontario, sophomore Peter Kuszynski was an anchor for the middle of the Broncos' lineup, going 5-2 on court two and 6-2 on court three in singles. He finished 22-6 overall in singles and 11-4 in dual action. In doubles, Kuszynski went 15-9 overall and 11-4 in dual competition, 6-1 in the No. 1 position and 5-3 on court two.
Morin's Take: "Peter had a fantastic freshman year for us. Instead of resting on his laurels, he went out and trained hard during the summer and elevated his game so that he could play near the top of our lineup. He had the best singles record on our team, going 22-6. Next year he should have a great opportunity to be in the national rankings for both singles and doubles."
 
Doubles Team of the Year: Jannik Opitz & Kennosuke Nouchi
Together the senior duo of Opitz and Kennosuke Nouchi went 14-5 with a 5-3 record in dual matches, all played on the top court. The two faced three ranked opponents and enjoyed an outstanding fall with a 9-2 ledger.
Morin's Take: "Jannik and Kenny also won this award in 2019. It's an easy vote for our team since they are one of the best teams in the midwest and were the No. 1 seed at our fall regionals."
 
Hap Sorensen Coaches Award: Arjun Honnappa
Freshman Arjun Honnappa posted a 16-10 overall mark in singles with a 5-5 ledger in dual matches. The Bengaluru, India, native turned in a 1-1 record on court five and was 4-4 at No. 6. In doubles, Honnappa finished the year with a 19-8 mark and 10-4 record in dual matches.
Morin's Take: "Pablo and I chose Arjun for this award since he embodies the essence of the award – putting in extra work, having a great attitude at practice and always striving for more on and off the court."

The Broncos also recognized their 2019-20 team captains. Junior Zac Faveri and Opitz were this year's leaders of the Brown & Gold. 
 
"Every season has its ups and downs and twists and turns and Zac and Jannik did a really nice job of helping us navigate through the season as we faced different challenges," Morin said.
 
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