Alabama Picks Ups Five ITA Southern Regional Awards

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. –– After a historic season, the Alabama men's tennis team claimed five ITA Southern Regional Awards, the organization announced.

Filip Planinsek was named both the Southern Region Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship honoree as well as the ITA Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship recipient while Andrii Zimnokh was named the ITA Regional Rookie of the Year.

Additionally, head coach George Husack and Dimitar Kutrovsky were named the Head and Assistant Regional Coach of the Year, respectively, for guiding the Crimson Tide to its 10^th all-time appearance in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament, an ITA Indoor National Championship appearance and held a top-30 national team ranking in 14 straight polls.

Filip Planinsek - Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship, ITA Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship

NCAA Singles Champion
Southern Region Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award Winner
Named ITA Southern Region Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship honoree
First-Team All-SEC honoree
First male or female student-athlete in Alabama history to win a singles title
Additionally, was just the second player in program history to reach the quarterfinals at the NCAA Singles Championship and first to advance to the semifinal round
Became the eighth player in program history to be named an All-America honoree in singles, securing the Tide's 10th overall singles All-America accolade
Defeated five consecutive top-25 ranked players during the NCAA Singles Tournament in No. 17 Cannon Kingsley (Ohio State) in the Round of 32, No. 5 Micah Braswell (Texas), No. 15 Cooper Williams (Harvard) in the quarterfinals, No. 9 Ozan Baris (Michigan State) in the semifinals and No. 23 Michael Zheng (Columbia) in the finals in addition to topping a sixth ranked opponent in No. 118 Jonas Hartenstein (North Florida) in the opening match
Finished the season on a seven-match winning streak which included his NCAA title
Held a national ranking in singles for 19 consecutive polls, dating back to March 21, 2023, and 11 consecutive doubles polls, dating back to November 15, 2023
Concluded the season ranked 17th in singles and 36th nationally in doubles
Qualified for the ATP Next Gen Accelerator Program
Won the ITA Southern Regional Doubles Title in the fall
Qualified for the 2023 ITA All-America Championships
Two-time SEC Player of the Week for his performance at the ITA National Indoor Championships (Feb. 21) and against Ole Miss and then-No. 11 Texas A&M (April 15)

Andrii Zimnokh – ITA Rookie of the Year

Named a SEC All-Freshman Team honoree
Recorded a team-leading 23 doubles victories, including a team-leading 14 wins in dual matches
His 23 doubles victories are the most by an Alabama player since Patrick Kaukovalta recorded 25 on his way to finishing as the 2019 NCAA doubles runner up
Concluded the season ranked No. 122 in singles and No. 36 in doubles
Held a national doubles ranking since Nov. 15, 2023, alongside partner Filip Planinsek
Recorded 24 singles wins during his rookie campaign, including a team-leading 18 victories in dual matches
Competed as the Tide's No. 2 singles player during conference play and No. 1 in doubles for the majority of conference matches
Named SEC Freshman of the Week for going undefeated in both singles and doubles against conference foes Arkansas and LSU
Won the ITA Southern Regional Doubles title and advanced to the ITA National Fall Championships after opening the fall with a 9-4 doubles record
Clinched UA's win over Nebraska, No. 5 Southern California and Arkansas

Head Coach George Husack – ITA Coach of the Year

Concluded his 12^th season at the helm of the Crimson Tide men's tennis team
Coached Filip Planinsek to an NCAA Singles Championship, the school's first-ever singles crown between the men's and women's tennis programs
Led Alabama to its 21^st all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament before making its 10^th all-time appearance in the second round of the national tournament
UA has reached the NCAA Tournament five times under head coach George Husack 2013, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2024
Alabama held a top-30 national ranking for 14 straight weeks, which includes ranking in the top 25 in 13 of those polls
The Tide closed the tournament with 18 victories, recording its winningest season since Alabama tallied 20 wins in 2018
Alabama advanced to the national indoor tournament after winning its ITA Kickoff Weekend regional site for the first time since 2010
The season was highlighted by an ITA National Indoor Championship berth and top-25 wins over then-No. 5 Southern California (2/18), then-No. 10 Kentucky (1/27), then-No. 11 Texas A&M (4/14) and then-No. 25 Florida (3/17)

Dimitar Kutrovsky – Assistant Coach of the Year

Finished fifth season as an assistant coach with the Crimson Tide
Aided the Tide in its 21^st all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament as the team advanced to the second round with a 4-1 win over Charlotte
Helped coach Filip Planinsek to an NCAA Singles Title, the first in program history
The program was ranked in the top-30 nationally in 14 straight polls,
The Crimson Tide closed the season with 18 victories, recording its winningest season since Kutrovsky's arrival at the Capstone
UA advanced to the ITA National Indoor Championships for the first time since 2010 after winning the Kentucky Regional ITA Kickoff Weekend Tournament
Helped UA secure wins over then-No. 5 Southern California (2/18), then-No. 10 Kentucky (1/27), then-No. 11 Texas A&M (4/14) and then-No. 25 Florida (3/17)

University of Alabama Athletics