April 14, 2009
Co-Athletes of the Week:
Bryan Koniecko, Ohio State
Senior - Long Island, N.Y. - Syosset
Bryan Koniecko, currently ranked fourth in the latest Campbell/ITA College Tennis Division I Rankings, won two singles and doubles matches last weekend to help the No. 3 Ohio State men's tennis team defeat No. 53 Indiana, 7-0, and No. 11 Illinois, 6-1. The two-time ITA All-American defeated No. 79 Marc Spicijaric of Illinois, 6-1, 6-4, and No. 85 Lachlan Ferguson of Indiana, 6-1, 6-4, both at No. 1 singles. Koniecko is now 21-4 against nationally-ranked opponents and has a team-high 32 victories. The native of Long Island, N.Y., is three wins shy of passing former Buckeye Roger Smith (1983-86) for third on the all-time wins list with 127 victories. In doubles, paired with sophomore Shuhei Uzawa, the Buckeye duo improved to 13-1 overall on the season with victories in both matches. With the wins, Koniecko has compiled a 115 career doubles wins total and is two shy of tying former Buckeye Scott Green (2003-06) for second on the all-time list.
Last Ohio State Athlete of the Week: Steven Moneke (April 7, 2009)
Dennis Nevolo, Illinois
Freshman - Gurnee, Ill. - Keystone National High School
The 39th-ranked Illinois freshman Dennis Nevolo went a combined 6-0 last week with a string of tough matches against No. 14 Kentucky, Penn State, and No. 3 Ohio State. Nevolo and partner Ruan Roelofse, currently ranked No. 18 in the ITA rankings, clinched the doubles point at No. 1 doubles in the match against Kentucky. The Illini duo edged the Wildcats' 19th-ranked duo of Bruno Agostinelli and Brad Cox, 9-8 (3). Against the Nittany Lions, the Illini tandem took an impressive 8-5 win at No. 2 doubles over Penn State's Guillaume St. Maurice and Brendan Lynch. The Illini pair completed their trifecta in doubles with an 8-7 (3) victory over Ohio State's Matt Allare and Chase Buchanan on Sunday. In singles, Nevolo tallied a straight sets win over Kentucky's Brad Cox, 6-2, 6-2, before dominating Penn State's Adam Slagter at No. 3 singles, 6-0, 6-2 in the Illinois sweep of the Nittany Lions. Nevolo's biggest match of the week came on Sunday as he battled to a three-set upset win over Ohio State's No. 18-ranked Justin Kronauge at No. 3 singles, 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 (9). Overall, Nevolo is 23-10 on the season in singles.
Last Illinois Athlete of the Week: Marek Czerwinski (March 10, 2009)
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