Eighteen Men’s Tennis Student-Athletes Named All-SSC in 2026
Founded in 1975, Sunshine State Conference member institutions have won a total of 138 NCAA national championships across 15 sports and boast an NCAA Division II leading 89% Academic Success Rate. In 2025-26, the SSC marks its 50th anniversary, reflecting on a proud history of athletic and academic excellence.
ORLANDO, Fla. – The Sunshine State Conference men's tennis coaches voted eighteen student-athletes to the 2026 All-Conference teams. Saint Leo’s Jose Segovia was named the Athlete of the Year, while Rollins’ Lawson Prather was deemed Freshman of the Year. Barry’s Avi Kigel was named the Coach of the Year for the first time on the men’s side. Voting for the All-SSC teams was conducted among the league's men's tennis coaches.
Freshman and Athlete of the Year are sponsored by Athletic Solutions.
Men's Tennis All-SSC History: All-SSC Teams | Athletes & Coaches of the Year
Jose Segovia of Saint Leo has been named Athlete of the Year. The sophomore from Valencia, Venezuela, tallied a 16-1 overall singles record, going a perfect 7-0 in league action in the spring regular season. Segovia is currently ranked no. 13 in the latest ITA Rankings. He sported a 1-1 record at #1 singles and 15-0 at #2 singles. In doubles play, Segovia went 12-4 in the #1 spot with partner Kodai Kato. He swept First-Team placement on both singles and doubles. Segovia is the fifth Lion to be named Athlete of the Year in men's tennis and the first since 2024. The Lions have earned the award in three of the last four years. ?
Lawson Prather from Rollins collects Freshman of the Year accolades. The Tulsa, Oklahoma native posted a 12-4 record in 2026 for the Tars. He was 11-4 in #1 singles and 1-0 in # 2 singles. Prather finished 6-1 in conference play. Prather had a 13-3 record in doubles, 5-2 in SSC action. Prather was the only freshman to be named on a First-Team and currently holds an ITA Singles Ranking of No. 8. The Oklahoman joins Jeff Morris (2009), Robin Marchione (2013), and Charlie Putrino (2021) as the four Tars to win SSC Freshman of the Year.
League coaches pick Avi Kigel from Barry as the SSC Coach of the Year. Kigel collects the award for the first time on the men’s side after leading the Buccaneers to a 18-0 overall record and a 7–0 record in SSC play during the regular season. The Bucs swept the regular season title and tournament titles for the second year in a row under his direction. Barry currently holds a No. 2 ITA ranking. Kigel becomes the second Buccaneer head coach to win the honor on both the men’s and women’s side, joining George Samuel. He is the fifth coach overall to win in both genders.
Garoz, Segovia, Kodai Kato, and Adam Lynch highlight the repeat All-SSC winners, with Garoz the most decorated, earning All-SSC honors for the third straight year. Segovia and Kato repeat as First-Team doubles members. Lynch and Segovia both improve and move into First-Team placements. Joshua Nuyts, the 2024 Freshman of the Year returns with a spot on the Second-Team doubles. Richard Stroiberer earned his third straight doubles-team All-SSC honor. There are 12 new players that are being represented on the All-SSC teams.
Athlete of the Year: Jose Segovia, Saint Leo
Freshman of the Year: Lawson Prather, Rollins
Coach of the Year: Avi Kigel, Barry
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2026 All-SSC Men's Tennis Awards
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First Team Singles
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School
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Year
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Hometown
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Jose Segovia1
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Saint Leo
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So.
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Valencia, Venezuela
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Mario Garoz2
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Florida Southern
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Sr.
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Toledo, Spain
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Lawson Prather
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Rollins
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Fr.
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Tulsa, Oklahoma
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Yan Kodjoed
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Barry
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So.
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Paris, France
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Adam Lynch3
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Barry
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Sr.
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Jacksonville, Florida
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Marc Mail
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Embry-Riddle
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Jr.
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Empfingen, Germany
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First Team Doubles
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School
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Year
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Hometown
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Adam Lynch3
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Barry
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Sr.
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Jacksonville, Florida
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Thomas Machado
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Barry
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Jr.
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Lavault-Sainte-Anne, France
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Louay Makke
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Lynn
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So.
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Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
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Davide Cortimiglia
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Lynn
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Gr.
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Genoa, Italy
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Jose Segovia1
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Saint Leo
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So.
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Valencia, Venezuela
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Kodai Kato4
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Saint Leo
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Jr.
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Chiba, Japan
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-
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Second Team Singles
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School
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Year
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Hometown
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Louay Makke
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Lynn
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So.
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Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
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Thomas Machado
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Barry
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Jr.
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Lavault-Sainte-Anne, France
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Joao Morgado
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Embry-Riddle
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Fr.
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Lisbon, Portugal
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Moritz Anterist
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Rollins
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So.
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Saarbrucken, Germany
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Fabian Gusic
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Rollins
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Sr.
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Celle, Germany
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Amirali Ghavam
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Eckerd
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Fr.
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Tehran, Iran
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-
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Second Team Doubles
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School
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Year
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Hometown
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Mario Garoz2
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Florida Southern
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Sr.
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Toledo, Spain
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Edoardo Melindo
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Florida Southern
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Sr.
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Torino, Italy
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Richard Stroiberer5
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Rollins
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Sr.
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Salzburg, Austria
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Pete Tran
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Rollins
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So.
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Orlando, Florida
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Joao Morgado
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Embry-Riddle
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Fr.
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Lisbon, Portugal
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Joshua Nuyts6
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Embry-Riddle
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Jr.
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Waterloo, Belgium
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1 Stoiberer (SLU) - 2025 First Team Doubles, 2025 Second Team Singles
2 Garoz (FS) - 2025 Athlete of the Year, 2025 First Team Singles, 2025 Second Team Doubles, 2024 First Team Doubles, 2024 Second Team Singles, 2023 Freshman of the Year, 2023 Second Team Doubles
3 Lynch (BU) - 2025 Second Team Singles
4 Kato (SLU) - 2025 First Team Doubles, 2025 Second Team Singles
5 Stoiberer (RC) - 2025 First Team Singles, 2024 First Team Doubles
6 Nuyts (ERAU) - 2024 Second Team Singles, 2024 Freshman of the Year