University of Minnesota Athletics
Spec Named B1G Tennis Athlete of the Week
4/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
ROSEMONT, Ill. - Minnesota sophomore Matic Spec went undefeated this past weekend at home, and for his efforts he was recognized Tuesday as the Big Ten Conference's Athlete of the Week.
It is the first award for the Gophers men's tennis team this season, and the second for the Maribor, Slovenia native.
Spec captured three wins at the No. 1 spot. He partnered with Felix Corwin in a 6-1 win over Michigan State along with a 5-3 lead against 39th-ranked Michigan's Alex Knight and Runhao Hua, a match that went unfinished. The duo is ranked No. 26 together.
In singles he took a 6-3, 6-4 upset win over Michigan's Jathan Malik, ranked No. 75.
On Sunday against the Spartans, Spec defeated Mac Roy (6-3, 6-2) to help lead the Gophers to their first conference win of the season.
Spec, a First Team All-Big Ten selection and ITA Central Region Rookie of the Year in 2015, last won the award on April 21 of last year.
He and the Gophers will host Ohio State and Penn State next weekend. They take on Ohio State at 3 p.m. on Friday and Penn State at 12 p.m. on Sunday.
Players Mentioned
