BRUNSWICK, Maine – Bowdoin College senior
Tristan Bradley (Chadds Ford, Pa.) has been named the NESCAC Player of the Year and head coach
Conor Smith was recognized as NESCAC Coach of the Year in honors announced by the league on Wednesday.
Bradley is the first-ever two-time winner of NESCAC Men's Tennis Player of the Year and also garnered First Team All-Conference singles and doubles with teammate
Reid Staples (Plano, Texas). Staples was recognized as First Team Doubles and Second Team Singles. Smith also set a league record with his fifth Coach of the Year honor, the most of any coach in conference history.
Bradley is the first player to claim NESCAC Player of the Year honor in back-to-back years and the fourth Bowdoin player overall to earn the accolade, joining Grant Urken (2019), McAfee Burke (2005), and Colin Joyner (2003). The senior also earned All-NESCAC honors for the fifth time with a spot on the All-NESCAC First Team Singles and First Team Doubles this season. Bradley owns a 19-1 record, including an 18-1 mark at No. 1 singles for the Polar Bears, and enters the NCAA Tournament having won nine straight matches, including a victory at No. 1 in the NESCAC Championship match to help the Bowdoin claim its fourth NESCAC crown.
Bradley also owns a 15-5 mark with playing partner
Reid Staples as Bowdoin's top doubles duo. Staples has enjoyed a fantastic season of his own, playing at the number two position in singles for the Polar Bears and racking up an 18-9 record overall, including a 12-6 mark in dual matches this spring.
On Wednesday evening,
Bradley and Staples both earned selections to the NCAA Division III Individual Championships May 21-24 at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center in St. Louis, Mo. Bradley will compete in the singles bracket and Staples will join him in the doubles championship.
Smith was recognized by his peers as Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career. He also earned the honor in 2012 and three consecutive seasons in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Smith guided the Polar Bears to their fourth NESCAC title, third under his tutelage, and a 19-6 record. Bowdoin will host opening round matches of the NCAA Tournament, May 10-12.
