Four members of the Emory University men's tennis program were recognized Wednesday morning with their selection to the All-University Athletic Association teams following the UAA Championships at the end of April where the Eagles secured their fourth consecutive third place finish at the tournament.
Freshman Daniel Kim headlined the Emory selections as he became the latest Eagle to claim UAA Rookie of the Year honors, as well as Second Team acclaim for singles. The Eagles also bolstered their selections with First Team nods from sophomore Ruilin Feng and senior Dean Kamenev in singles as well as in doubles with the tandem of Feng and sophomore Ajay Kartik.
Kim is the seventh player in program history to be chosen as the conference's Rookie of the Year and the first since Kamenev in 2023. He is currently tied for the team lead with 19 singles victories, posting an overall record of 19-8, and is 14-7 so far in dual matches. At the UAA Championships, Kim went 2-1 with wins against WashU and Carnegie Mellon including the match-clincher against the Tartans. Earlier this year, he added a 2-0 mark in singles at the ITA National Indoor Championships and advanced to the quarterfinals of the ITA South Regional.
Feng makes his second straight appearance on the All-UAA First Team for singles as he is currently tied with Kim for the team lead in wins, boasting an overall singles record of 19-4. Feng started the season with a 15-match winning streak that included a 10-0 record in tournament play as he captured both the ITA Cup Division III national championship as well as the ITA South Regional crown. He stands currently with a 9-4 record at the No. 1 position with three wins coming during the ITA National Indoor Championships and was 1-1 for the Eagles at the UAA Championships.
For Kamenev, this marks his third selection to the All-UAA Team for singles including his second appearance on the First Team. As a senior, he owns a 14-14 overall record with six wins coming during dual matches. In the fall, he advanced to the finals of the ITA South Regional where he fell against Feng and participated at the ITA Cup in Rome, Georgia.
In doubles, Feng and Kartik round out the Emory All-Association selections with their First Team nod for No. 1 doubles. This spring, they have formed the Eagles' top doubles team with a 10-4 record and have won four straight matches which includes a 3-0 mark during the UAA Championships where they outscored opponents from WashU, UChicago and Carnegie Mellon by a combined score of 18-7. They added a 2-1 mark together during the ITA National Indoor Championships with wins coming against foes from UChicago and Johns Hopkins.
The Eagles qualified for the NCAA postseason for the 36th consecutive season and will be headed to NC Wesleyan this weekend for the opening rounds. Emory is set to face the winner of Stevens/PSU-Harrisburg in the second round on Saturday.
