MALE
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Marc
Thomas
No
one has earned this distinction more than once with a greater
gap between awards than Marc Thomas. Eleven years ago in
1997, he earned his first Player of the Year award. In 2008,
Thomas collected the most overall titles of any man on the
COGP tour. He was the singles champion at Bexley and Reynoldsburg
and won doubles titles at Bexley, Academy and Reynoldsburg.
He was also the doubles finalist at the Masters. With the
#2 men's singles ranking and a ranking of #4 in men's doubles,
Marc Thomas was named the 2008 Male Player of the Year.
FEMALE
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Lucy
Mitchell
Year
after year, Lucy Mitchell continues to add to her records
as the COGP's most successful player. This past summer,
she won women's singles titles at Bexley, Westerville and
Reynoldsburg and was a finalist at Worthington. In mixed
doubles, she won at Groveport, was a finalist at the Central
Ohio tournament and a semifinalist at Pickerington. With
#1 rankings in singles and mixed doubles, Mitchell was named
the Female Player of the Year for the sixth time.
SENIOR
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jim
Nelson
In
one of the tightest races for number one in any division
on the COGP summer tour, Jim Nelson finished #2 in the rankings.
However, he collected the most
men's 55 singles titles by winning at Gahanna, Academy,
New Albany, Worthington
and the Masters. He also had a direct win over the top ranked
player in their only meeting last summer. For his outstanding
performance in 2008, Nelson was named the Senior Player
of the Year.
JUNIOR
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
David
Seckel
With
all the different age groups for both boys and girls, sometimes
it's hard for junior players to stand out from the crowd.
Last summer, David Seckel made a statement loud and clear.
He started the year slowly with quarterfinal finishes in
boys' 14 singles at the Penn New Year tournament and Gahanna.
Then he found his stride with a runner-up finish at Bexley
followed by titles at Groveport, the Central Ohio, Academy,
another runner-up finish at Worthington and more titles
at Westerville and Reynoldsburg. He also won doubles titles
at Bexley (boys' 14 doubles) and Groveport (boys' 18 doubles).
For his outstanding performance in 2008, David Seckel was
named the Junior Player of the Year.
MOST
IMPROVED PLAYER
Andrew
Losinske
This
player went from #12 in 2007 to #4 last summer in the men's
singles rankings on the strength of winning his first COGP
title. He was also a quarterfinalist at New Albany and the
Masters, reached the semis at Gahanna and the finals at
Worthington. His title came at Dublin with a win over the
top ranked player. For his solid performance on the 2008
COGP tour, Andrew Losinske was named the Most Improved Player.
NEWCOMER
OF THE YEAR
Casey
Buccilla
In
her debut on the COGP tour, Casey Buccilla rose all the
way to #3 in the girls' 16 singles rankings. She won titles
at Bexley and the Central Ohio tournament. She was also
the backdraw champion at Tennisfax and reached the semis
at Academy. For her solid performance during her inaugural
COGP summer tour, Buccilla was named the 2008 Newcomer of
the Year.
COMEBACK
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Mark
Fazzina
After
missing the entire 2007 COGP season, Mark Fazzina returned
to the tour to become the #5 ranked men's 45 singles player.
He was a semifinalist at Bexley and Reynoldsburg and reached
the finals at the Masters. For his solid return to COGP
competition, Fazzina was named the Comeback Player of the
Year.
SHANE
ROUSH SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Patrick
Williamson
Each
year, it seems harder to notice players who show the qualities
of good sportsmanship. Rarely do you hear a player compliment
an opponent for a good shot. Few players show graciousness
in defeat anymore. Most players don't even seem to be enjoying
their tennis. Patrick Williamson is the exception. As a
result, Williamson is clearly deserving of the Shane Roush
Sportsmanship award for 2008.
Click
here for past award winners.
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