DeLAND—Stetson's Loic Blanco was named as the Atlantic Sun Conference Freshman of the Year in men's tennis, the league office announced on Wednesday.

In addition, Blanco also earned a first-team all-conference nod as well as a spot on the A-Sun All-Freshman team. Stetson teammates Laurynas Antropikas, Graham Ball and Nathan Debut each earned second-team all-league honors.

Blanco (Demye, France) receives top freshman accolades after leading the Hatters with a 14-4 dual match record this spring, including a 4-1 mark in conference play. Blanco, who played mostly at No. 2 and 3 singles, is the third Hatter to earn A-Sun Freshman of the Year since the league began voting for the award in 2001.

“Loic more than met our expectations,” said Stetson Director of Tennis Pierre Pilote. “(Associate Head) Coach (Christophe) Noblet did an excellent job in recruiting him. Based on what we learned about Loic during the recruiting process, we knew he could be a star. It's not surprising to us that he won; it's what we thought his potential was, but to go from potential to actually delivering on the court is different and not everyone can do that. He's well deserving of this award.”

Antropikas earned a spot on the second-team at No. 2 singles after going 6-9 overall and 2-2 in A-Sun matches.

Ball, selected at No. 5 singles, was one Stetson's more consistent performers this spring, posting an 11-7 overall singles record which includes a 4-1 mark in A-Sun play.

Debut, a first-team all-conference performer last season, earned recognition at No. 1 singles with a 5-6 record and a 2-2 mark in league action.

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