CHATTANOOGA — On the heels of its first Southern Conference regular season title in program history, Chattanooga Mocs men's tennis coach Chuck Merzbacher was tabbed the league's Coach of the Year while six different Mocs garnered All-SoCon honors following stellar campaigns during the 2023 season.
 
Merzbacher wins the SoCon Coach of the Year award for the second time in his UTC tenure after picking up the laurel following the 2019 season. In addition to Merzbacher's laurel, the six different individual All-SoCon honorees mark the most in program history.
 
"I am truly honored to receive this award, as it is a true reflection of the ten guys I coach and how hard they play for each other and this university," said Merzbacher.
 
"I truly love coaching this group and I appreciate the historic impact they have made on our tennis program. These kids are 'all in'."
 
Among the six All-SoCon individual honorees include: Kerim Hyatt (first team – singles & second team doubles), Peyton Gatti (first team doubles), Simon Labbe (first team doubles), Gabriel Castillo (second team singles), Kristof Kincses (second team doubles) and Cortland Grove (all-freshman).
 
2023 SOUTHERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Thursday, April 20 – Saturday, April 22
Champions Club (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
Tournament Information ∙ Bracket
 
Quarterfinal ∙ #1 UTC vs. #8 UNCG ∙ Thurs., April 20 ∙ 8AM ET
Chattanooga (16-6) enters the Southern Conference Tournament as the top seed following its regular season crown behind a 6-1 league record, its best since 1989. The Mocs will face No. 8 UNCG (4-21) in the quarterfinal round on Thursday at 8 a.m. ET.
 
UTC will face the Spartans in a rematch from last Saturday's regular season finale which resulted in a 7-0 win for the visiting Mocs. Chattanooga took a slight 14-13 edge in the all-time series history between the two programs following the victory. The Mocs advanced to last year's semifinal round for the first time since 2013.
 
Match coverage links will be available on the schedule page at GoMocs.com leading up to first serve.­
 
COACH MERZBACHER ON ACCOLADES:
On Kerim Hyatt's first team selection:
"It would be hard to think of too many players that have come through the SoCon and claim as many awards as Kerim Hyatt in his collegiate career. His 5-2 record, this season, at the #1 spot in singles is quite impressive. However, it is Kerim's leadership and toughness that has made him and our program stronger."
 
On Peyton Gatti and Simon Labbe first team doubles:
"Simon and Peyton continually improved their play at the #1 spot in doubles every time they lined up to play. They compete well and lock in on the type of doubles we like to play here at Chattanooga. They've been fun to watch."
 
On Gabriel Castillo on second team selection:
"Gabe has had a great year, obviously being named SoCon player of the month twice this spring. He brings a competitive spirit and enthusiasm to each match. He's made a huge impact on this team. I look forward to seeing him grow with the program, as he will be a top of the line-up guy and we will need his leadership."
 
On Kerim Hyatt and Kristof Kincses second team doubles:
Kerim and Kristof certainly deserve this recognition, as they have been a mainstay for our doubles this year. Kerim's leadership, combined with Kristof's doubles instincts and improvement throughout the year has propelled this team into a top doubles team. Look for Kristof to be one of the top doubles players in the country in the next three years."
 
On Cortland Grove all-freshman honor:
Cortland has made great strides and improvement in his first year. His development and competitive spirit have helped the team immensely. Excited for his future because his best tennis is in front of him.
2023 Southern Conference Player of the Year
Dimitri Badra, R-Jr., ETSU
 
2023 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year
Jerry Barton, Furman
 
2023 Southern Conference Coach of the Year
Chuck Merzbacher, Chattanooga
 
2023 Southern Conference Buddy Hartsell Sportsmanship Award
Hayden Shoemake, Jr., The Citadel
Robbie Young, So., Wofford
 
2023 All-Southern Conference Men's Tennis
First team
Singles
Hayden Shoemake, The Citadel
Dimitri Badra, ETSU
Thiago Pernas, ETSU
Jerry Barton, Furman
Maxwell Giddens, Samford
Kerim Hyatt, Chattanooga
 
Doubles
Hayden Shoemake/Sebastian Kamieniecki, The Citadel
Sandeep Mohandoss/Maxwell Giddens, Samford
Peyton Gatti/Simon Labbe, Chattanooga
 
Second team
Singles
Lucas Dini, Mercer
Marceau Foulihoux, Mercer
Samuel MacLeod, Mercer
Mohamed Ali Bellalouna, Samford
Sandeep Mohandoss, Samford
Gabriel Castillo Sanchez, Chattanooga
 
Doubles
Dimitri Badra/Adam Nagoudi, ETSU
Marceau Foulihoux/Nemanja Stefanovic, Mercer
Kerim Hyatt/Kristof Kincses, Chattanooga
 
All-Freshman
Pedro Cressoni, ETSU
Jerry Barton, Furman
Thomas Kennedy, Furman
Nemanja Stefanovic, Mercer
Darcy Nicholls, Samford
Cortland Grove, Chattanooga

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