May 28, 2001
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Santa Clara senior Matt Cox received the Bronco of the Year Award as the men's tennis team honored its lone departing player at the team banquet Sunday afternoon at head coach Sean Burns' home in San Mateo.
Junior transfer Victor Camargo received the Mad Dog Award while sophomore Michael Bruggemann earned the Most Improved Award. Additionally, freshman Michael Duong was named the team's Rookie of the Year. A special plaque was given to Gerald Lu, who was named the team's Fan of the Year. All team awards were determined through a vote of the players.
The Bronco of the Year award has been given annually to the player who best exemplifies what it means to play Bronco Tennis, including attitude, effort, support of teammates, results and best representation of the program. Cox, the squad's only senior this season, earned first team All-West Coast Conference honors after leading the team to a third-place finish at this year's Championship. It marked the third straight year the Broncos had received all-league honors in singles. Cox cemented his place in Bronco annals, as his 55 career victories ties him at fifth place on the all-time list. He's also fifth all-time on the doubles charts, posting 51 wins with various partners.
Camargo's honor was named after former Bronco and 2000 graduate Scott Watters, who earned the nickname Mad Dog for his abilities to come through in the clutch when his team needed it the most. Camargo registered big victories over ranked opponents such as Arizona, UC Santa Barbara, Pacific and Sacramento State. He also clinched two team matches with three-set victories at the WCC Championships. In the tournament opener, Camargo was down 5-1 in the third set, but rallied to a 7-5 victory to defeat Loyola Marymount's Ryan Gerstner. He clinched the team's final match of the season, good for third place at the WCCs with another extra-set win over Portland's Nick Tostenrude.
After redshirting his sophomore year and undergoing three elbow surgeries, Bruggemann returned to the lineup this season and made a huge contribution to the team's success with his stellar doubles play. He teamed with sophomore Ryan Livesay at No. 1 doubles during the season. The duo claimed the biggest doubles victory in Bronco annals with the program's first win over a nationally-ranked opponent in No. 31 Scott Kintz and Adrian Barnes of California. The tandem was named to the All-WCC doubles team for their efforts. Bruggemann continued to make great strides with his game over the course of the year as he recorded a new single-season doubles record with 20 victories (19 with Livesay, one with freshman Erich Chen).
Duong was named the team's top-performing freshman with his honor as Rookie of the Year. He earned 19 victories splitting time in the top three spots of the singles lineup. He swept his opponents at the Rice Invitational, defeating East Carolina, West Virginia and Rice at the No. 2 position. His victories over UCSB and Portland at the WCC Championships were also key factors to Santa Clara's 15-9 record this season. However, Duong's biggest match of the year was his victory against Sacramento State's Joe Gilbert, rallying from a 4-1 deficit in the third set to a 7-5 victory to clinch a team win.
Lu, named the team's most passionate supporter this past season, attended every home match while also following the Broncos on the road. His appearance at the WCC Championship in Malibu was a huge boost to the Bronco confidence as the team placed third.
