Borges Named POY; Three Bulldogs Earn All-SEC Honors

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State men's tennis landed four players on Wednesday's Southeastern Conference postseason awards list, with sophomore and third-ranked Bulldog Nuno Borges leading the way after capturing the SEC Player of the Year honor.

Joining Borges was Niclas Braun (All-SEC Second Team), Strahinja Rakic (All-SEC Second Team) and Giovanni Oradini (SEC All-Freshman Team) as each Bulldog picked up conference postseason awards.

"This is more than I could've ever expected a year and a half ago when I first came to MSU," Borges said after receiving the Player of the Year award. "I'm so proud, not only for getting this honor, but also for all the progress I've made since then. This award doesn't only reflect the hard work that I put in, but also all the efforts of my teammates, coaches and staff who pushed me to get better every single day. Without their love and support, none of this would be possible."

Borges becomes only the third Bulldog in program history to win the SEC Player of the Year honor, joining Thomas Dupré (1997) and Marco Baron (2001) in the MSU history books. Borges is the youngest Bulldog to ever win the honor, with Dupré winning as a junior and Baron as a senior. The sophomore was also named to the All-SEC First Team on Wednesday in addition to his top honor.

"Nuno has an exceptional will to succeed," head coach Matt Roberts said. "He loves competing and winning, but is also one of the most humble players I've ever had the privilege of coaching. He expects perfection, but at the same time understands that if he fails it is part of the process of growing and getting better. I'm so proud of him, because Nuno deserves all the praise and honors that come his way. He's unreal."

This season, Borges has earned a 31-6 record overall in singles play while leading the SEC with a 19-3 record at the No. 1 spot. The sophomore has racked up a staggering 21 ranked singles wins this season while four victories over top-10 foes. The Maia, Portugal native is on track to become MSU first All-American since 2013 as well with Borges currently ranked third overall in singles action.

Accompanying Borges on Wednesday were Braun, Rakic and Oradini after the Bulldog trio turned in an exceptional season for the Maroon & White.

Berlin native Braun claimed his first All-SEC honor after the sophomore was named to the second team. On the season, Braun has turned in a stealer season with his highlight coming on the doubles court as he currently ranks ninth overall with partner Trevor Foshey.

"I want to give my teammates and coaches credit for this honor," Braun said. "Without them, none of this would be possible. We all work hard everyday and it's nice to be rewarded for the hard work you put in day in and day out."

Braun has earned 10 ranked wins with partner Foshey this year, most recently posting an upset over Georgia's No. 2 ranked Robert Loeb and Jan Zielinski at the SEC finals. The duo leads MSU with a 19-11 record on the season and has clinched five doubles points for State this year. In addition to Braun's outstanding doubles play, the sophomore owns a 16-11 record in singles action.

Fellow sophomore Rakic joins Braun on the All-SEC Second Team after an impressive second season with the Bulldogs. The Belgrade, Serbia native has earned a 19-12 singles record for MSU this season, while knocking off three ranked opponents.

"This award means a lot, because it shows how far I've come since coming to MSU," Rakic said. "None of this would be obtainable without my teammates and coaches, we all work hard as a unit and this is their award as much as mine."

Rakic has been ranked as high as No. 110 in singles play this season. The second-year Bulldog has clinched three matches for MSU, with the biggest coming at No. 34 Vanderbilt on March 16. The Bulldog has also gone 13-11 in doubles action this season with partner Borges.

Lastly, but certainly not least, first-year Bulldog Oradini rounded out MSU's All-SEC selections on Wednesday after he earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors.

"I want to say thanks to my teammates and coaches," Oradini said. "We did a great job improving and getting better together, without them none of this would be possible. What I found at MSU is something very special and I can't wait to gain more fond memories of the team, university and city I love."

Oradini has won 14 singles matches for the Bulldogs this season since joining the team in January. The freshman clinched five matches for MSU, with two of those coming last weekend at the SEC Championships against No. 19 South Carolina and No. 11 Texas A&M. Additionally, Oradini has won four doubles matches this season to add to his impressive rookie resume.

"These young men have been so observant and hungry to learn in their first years here at MSU," Roberts said. "I'm so proud of their willingness to train hard and compete for their team and university. It's an honor to coach a team that represents MSU so well and I am pleased to see the SEC acknowledge these four men for their passion and efforts."

Up Next
MSU will find out what Bulldogs will qualify for the NCAA Individual Championships (May 24-29). Last season, Rishab Agarwal and Mate Cutura earned NCAA singles bids for the Maroon & White.

Additional Notes

The four Bulldogs to earn All-SEC honors were the most since 2015
A total of 11 Bulldogs have been named to All-SEC teams under head coach Matt Roberts
Nuno Borges earned All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Freshman Team honors last season
Borges claimed the ITA Southern Region Singles crown over the fall
Borges also advanced to the semifinals of the ITA Indoors during the fall as well
Sophomore Borges earned two SEC Player of the Week honors this season
Borges was named to the SEC All-Tournament Team last weekend after MSU's impressive run at the tourney
Giovanni Oradini claimed one SEC Freshman of the Week award this year
Oradini was named to the SEC All-Tournament Team last weekend
The SEC postseason awards were the first for sophomores Niclas Braun and Strahinja Rakic

Social Media
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

A complete list of the awards follows and ties were not broken leading to 15-member All-SEC First-Team and a 14-member All-SEC Second-Team

First Team All-SEC
Mazen Osama, Alabama
Mike Redlicki, Arkansas
Jose Salazar, Arkansas
Alfredo Perez, Florida
Elliott Orkin, Florida
Nathan Ponwith, Georgia
Jan Zielinski, Georgia
Robert Loeb, Georgia
Wayne Montgomery, Georgia
William Bushamuka, Kentucky
Gustav Hansson, Ole Miss
Nuno Borges, Mississippi State
Harrison O'Keefe, South Carolina
Timo Stodder Tennessee
Arthur Rinderknech, Texas A&M

Second Team All-SEC
Thibault Cancel, Alabama
Max Hinnisdaels, Auburn
Emil Reinberg, Georgia
Beck Pennington, Kentucky
Ryo Matsumura, Kentucky
Jordan Daigle, LSU
Justin Butsch, LSU
Fabian Fallert, Ole Miss
Niclas Braun, Mississippi State
Strahinja Rakic, Mississippi State
Gabriel Friedrich, South Carolina
Valentin Vacherot, Texas A&M
Jordi Arconada, Texas A&M
Cameron Klinger, Vanderbilt

All-Freshman
Thibault Cancel, Alabama
Johannes Ingildsen, Florida
Nathan Ponwith, Georgia
Giovanni Oradini, Mississippi State
Hady Habib, Texas A&M
Valentin Vacherot, Texas A&M

Player of the Year
Nuno Borges, Mississippi State

Freshman of the Year
Nathan Ponwith, Georgia

Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Vikram Chari, Vanderbilt

Coach of the Year
Manuel Diaz, Georgia

Mississippi State University Athletics

Borges Named POY; Three Bulldogs Earn All-SEC Honors

Related News

Players Mentioned

Rishab Agarwal

Nuno Borges

Niclas Braun

Mate Cutura

Trevor Foshey

Giovanni Oradini

Strahinja Rakic

Related Videos