STANFORD, Calif. – Five members of No. 7 Stanford were named to the Pac-12 Men's Tennis All-Academic Team, the conference announced Tuesday.
Seniors Tom Fawcett and David Wilczynski, and juniors Sameer Kumar and Michael Genender each earned first-team honors, making up half of the conference's eight-member first team. Sophomore William Genesen was named to the second team.
In four years under Taube Family Director of Men's Tennis Paul Goldstein, Stanford has totaled a conference-leading 20 Pac-12 All-Academic honorees on the first and second team. The total is seven more than the next closest program. The Cardinal has placed four members on the first team in back-to-back years. Stanford has led or tied for the conference lead in all-academic selections on the first and second teams for nine consecutive seasons.
Fawcett earned Pac-12 All-Academic honors all three years he was eligible for the honor, earning second-team laurels in 2016 and 2017. The Science, Technology & Society major was also nominated for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. He was ranked in the top-10 in the ITA singles poll for most of the season and earned a spot in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships earlier this month. Fawcett completed the season 20-6 overall with an 11-4 dual record, playing all his matches at the No. 1 spot. He was named the ITA Northwest Region Senior Player of the Year. His 53 career dual victories rank 27th on Stanford's all-time list. Fawcett teamed with Axel Geller during the regular season, posting a 16-6 dual record with a No. 32 ranking in the ITA poll.
Wilczynski was also recognized on the Pac-12 All-Academic Team all three years he was eligible. The Science, Technology & Society major was a second-team selection in 2016 and 2017. The Cardinal finished his senior season 20-11 overall with a 13-6 record in dual action. He captured the title at the UCSB Classic in the fall. Wilczynski recorded three match-clinching wins for the Cardinal this past season. His 48 career dual victories rank 31st on Stanford's all-time list. Wilczynski posted 16 wins in doubles.
Kumar is a First Team Pac-12 All-Academic selection for the second consecutive year. The economics major was ranked in the ITA singles poll for most of the season. He owned a 19-13 overall record with an 11-6 dual mark, playing all his dual matches at either No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 singles. Kumar posted a 23-10 overall record in doubles, playing mostly with Genender as Stanford's top doubles team. The duo ranked in the top-60 in doubles for most of the season. Kumar defeated four nationally-ranked singles players and was responsible for two clinching points, sealing wins over No. 6 UCLA in the Dick Gould Stanford/SoCal Challenge and New Mexico State in the first round of the NCAA Championships.
Genender was also recognized as a First Team Pac-12 All-Academic selection for the second straight year. The Science, Technology & Society major posted a 7-5 overall record with a 6-2 mark in dual action for the Cardinal. He teamed with Kumar to form Stanford's top doubles team, boasting an ITA ranking for most of the season (No. 56 in latest poll). The duo was 18-9 overall with an 11-5 dual record. Genender recorded a pair of match-clinching points, sealing wins over Arizona and UC Davis.
In his first season eligible for conference all-academic honors, Genesen was a Second Team Pac-12 All-Academic selection. The sophomore posted a 16-10 overall record with an 8-4 mark in dual action. Playing at No. 4, No. 5 or No. 6 for the Cardinal, Genesen registered five consecutive wins from the end of February to the end of March. He helped the Cardinal post a 4-3 victory on the road at No. 20 Arizona State and defeat No. 36 California in Berkeley.
Stanford registered its best record in 15 seasons, with a 22-4 mark. The Cardinal, ranked in the top-five in the ITA poll for the majority of the season, finished No. 7 in the ITA poll. Stanford reached as high as No. 2 in the rankings in February. The Cardinal earned the No. 4 overall seed in the NCAA Championships.
