NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — VCU's Lleyton Cronje has been named the Atlantic 10 Conference Men's Tennis Most Outstanding Performer, while Dayton sophomore Connor Bruce has been named the Most Outstanding Rookie Performer, announced Tuesday following a vote by the league's 11 head coaches. In the same vote, VCU's Anthony Rossi was named Coach of the Year for the second straight year (2019).
Cronje had a breakout sophomore campaign with a 12-4 singles record including a 10-3 mark in the No. 1 position, leading the Rams to an Atlantic 10 title. VCU's top singles player from Pretoria, South Africa, entered the ITA Singles Rankings at No. 79 for the first time in his career on April 14. Playing mostly with teammate David Cierny, Cronje also tallied a 10-7 doubles record. Cronje represented the A-10 in the NCAA Singles Championship, falling short in a thriller to No. 52 Riley Smith of USC, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5).
Bruce was a three-time A-10 Performer of the Week this season after winning five Rookie of the Week awards in the shortened 2020 season. Bruce, a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., played at No. 1 singles for the Flyers all season and compiled a record of 14-4. He ended the season winning nine straight matches and went 4-0 against conference opponents. He paired with Max DeCurtins to play 15 matches at No. 1 doubles, and the pair won nine matches including winning eight of their last 10. He went 2-0 in the A-10 Championship, defeating Oscar Alvarez of Saint Louis in straight sets and Matt Fernandez of Richmond in three sets, both coming in No. 1 singles.
Rossi, a native of Marseille, France, completed his second full year of competition at the helm for the Rams and led VCU to back-to-back Atlantic 10 Championship titles, defeating Saint Joseph's, Davidson and Richmond along the way. VCU, who was ranked as high as 32nd by the ITA this season, earned the A-10's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they eventually fell to No. 35 Ohio State. The two-time A-10 Coach of the Year has amassed a 41-18 over three years at VCU.
Joining Cronje and Bruce on the All-Conference First Team is Davidson's Max Kachkarov, Fordham's Fabian Mauritzson, Richmond's Matthew Fernandez and Daniel Kliebhan, Saint Joseph's Nathan Perrone, Oscar Alvarez of Saint Louis, and from VCU, Charles Bertimon, Quentin Coulad, Rayane Stable and Inigo Torre Martin.
The All-Conference Second Team consists of Dayton's Matt DeMarco and Steven Karl, Fordham's Lutwin De Macar, George Mason's Rishab and Rithik Sardana, La Salle's Rogelio Gonzalez, Richmond's John Walsh and Alex Wernink, St. Bonaventure's Martin Estevarena, Ryota Fukushima and Theo Ortis of Saint Louis, and VCU's David Cierny and Timo Zraggen.
The All-Academic team, which is voted on by the league's sports information directors, includes Duquesne's Jin Dassanayake, Fordham's Mauritzson, Richmond's Wenink, Alvarez from Saint Louis, and VCU's Bertimon and Torre Martin.