Tyler Stice men's tennis first team all-SEC

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Jacob Taylor/AU Athletics

Tyler Stice

Auburn's top-ranked singles player, Tyler Stice was voted first team all-SEC by the conference's men's tennis coaches for the 2021 season.

"Tyler is so deserving of first team all-SEC," Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds said. "It's a huge honor for a player competing in his first full year of college tennis, and have the success he has had playing No. 1 singles and earning a national ranking inside the top 30, those are the accolades for the hard work Tyler puts in every day.

"You can't find a more fierce competitor on the court during matches, a player who never gives up and a player who raises his level of play in pressure moments. I'm excited for what the future holds for Tyler. This is just the beginning of an illustrious career here at Auburn."

Stice, No. 27 in the latest Oracle ITA singles national rankings, posted a 12-9 mark this spring playing in the top spot. He went 7-6 in SEC play, with wins over South Carolina (#81 Raphael Lambling), Vanderbilt (#117 George Harwell), Alabama (Zhe Zhou), Tennessee (#24 Adam Walton), Georgia (#9 Trent Bryde), Ole Miss (#55 Tim Sandkaulen) and Arkansas (Alex Reco).

The Atlanta, Ga., product clinched the 4-3 win at Alabama with his three-set victory, and earned SEC weekly honors for his wins over Tennessee and Georgia.

In doubles, Stice has a 13-4 mark this spring paired with Jan Galka; they are 6-3 in SEC action on court three with wins over Florida, Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Arkansas. They have clinched the doubles point in six matches.

The last Tiger to receive all-SEC recognition was Matteo DeVincentis, who was a second-team all-conference selection and a member of the all-freshman team after the 2018 season. Lukas Ollert was Auburn's most recent first-team honoree in 2015.

The Tigers await the NCAA team and individual bids that will be announced May 3-4.