Ecarma, Lien Headline Men's Tennis Conference USA Honorees
July 24, 2000 | Men's Tennis
April 27, 2000
CHICAGO - University of Louisville head coach Rex Ecarma has been named Conference USA Coach of the Year and Joachim Lien was named Freshman of the Year.
In his tenth season as Louisville's head coach, Ecarma helped the team rebound from an 8-18 finish in 1999 and guided the Cardinals to their first conference crown, defeating No. 25 UAB in the finals of the championship.
"I'm really humbled that my competitors and peers voted to give me this honor," said Ecarma. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for coaches in C-USA and am very surprised because I'm one of the youngest coaches in this conference. I'm extremely enthusiastic about what I do and the university that I represent and I'm thankful to God for blessing me with it."
Lien joined the team in January and has posted a 22-8 overall and dual match record in singles at the No. 2 position, a 21-7 doubles record and a 3-1 mark in the conference championship. He was also named to the first team All-Conference USA.
"This is the first time we've ever had a freshman make first team All-CUSA, much less Freshman of the Year," said Ecarma. "I am excited about what Joachim has accomplished. Winning 22 matches while playing so high in the lineup is remarkable. He is coachable and implements everything very well."
Joining Lien on the first team All-Conference USA is Tvrtko Kujundzic. Kujundzic, a two-time C-USA Player of the Week recipient, compiled a 24-19 record in singles at the No. 1 seed and is currently at No. 88 in ITA singles rankings. Kujundzic combined with Lien for a 20-7 doubles record. As a doubles team, they were ranked as high as No. 51 nationally.
"The accolades continue for Tvrtko. He has worked as hard as any tennis player in the country. He does extra tennis and weight room workouts, going above and beyond the required regimen. He deserves the accolades he has earned," said Ecarma.
Louisville's Brent McCombe was named to the second team All-Conference USA after compiling a team-leading 30-8 singles record (21-3 in dual matches) and a 24-14 doubles record and posting a 6-0 mark in the conference championship. McCombe was also named C-USA Player of the Week during the season.
"Brent went from a reserve role player last year to a big-time clutch player this season. He embraced the game plan we had for him and took off with it. He's earned the respect of his teammates and competitors as well as other coaches," said Ecarma.
Louisville (22-9) received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, their second trip in three years. The Cards also achieved the program's highest Intercollegiate Tennis Association team ranking of No. 36 in March, they are currently ranked No. 40.
