Four Raiders Named to C-USA All-Academic Team

DALLAS, Texas – Having already clinched the #1 seed for the Conference USA Tournament this week for their accomplishments on the court, the Middle Tennessee men's tennis team showed they are just as strong off the court, as four Blue Raiders have been named to the six-member Conference USA All-Academic Team.

Tom Moonen and Max Rauch each earn the honor for the second time in their career while Francisco Rocha and Pavel Motl are recognized for the first time.

With the four selections this year, the Blue Raiders have now had at least one student-athlete on the Conference USA All-Academic Team, including multiple selections four times. It is also the first time a single school has had four selections to the team as no other school has ever had more than two players on the team in a single year.

Moonen, a graduate student from Rotterdam, Netherlands, is fifth all-time in MTSU history with 175 combined wins in doubles and singles. He has seven singles wins this spring as well as 12 doubles wins, pairing up with Chris Edge. In the classroom, he has a 4.0 GPA while studying Finance.

Rauch, a graduate student, also sees himself in the top-10 all-time in wins at Middle Tennessee as he sits in ninth place with 153. The Heidelberg, Germany native has nine wins in both singles and doubles this year. Off the court, he has a 3.93 GPA while working toward his degree in Aerospace, Math, and Engineering Technology.

Rocha has solidified himself as the Raiders' No. 1 singles player this season, going 12-5 in singles this spring, climbing to as high as #35 in the nation. He has defeated multiple ranked opponents, including Daniel Rodrigues of South Carolina back in the fall, the current #2-ranked player in the country. The Porto, Portugal native has also been solid in doubles this spring, picking up nine wins with Rauch. Academically, the junior carries a 4.0 GPA while studying Economics and Business Administration.

Motl earns a spot on the team after picking up 17 combines wins this spring in both singles in doubles action. Playing at the #1 Doubles position along with Stijn Slump, the pair is currently ranked 74^th in the nation with one of their biggest wins coming against #14 Jakub Wojcik and Rithvik Bollipall of South Florida, helping the Raiders to a 4-3 win over the 29^th-ranked Bulls. In the classroom, the junior from Prstice, Czech Republic has a 3.9 GPA while studying Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Business.

Moonen, Rauch, Rocha, Motl, and the rest of the Blue Raiders return to the court against UAB, Friday, at 1 p.m. CST in Charlotte as they begin their quest to defend the Conference USA title.

Middle Tennessee State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Chris Edge

Tom Moonen

Pavel Motl

Max Rauch

Francisco Rocha

Stijn Slump

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