MOBILE, Ala. – The Southern States Athletic Conference handed out its 2026 Men's Tennis Awards at the conference banquet Wednesday evening, and a program-record four Loyola Wolf Pack student-athletes earned All-SSAC honors.
Sam Izrael was named First-Team All-Conference, while Alfredo Gallegos, Hippolyte de Preville, and Samuel Marin all landed on the All-SSAC Second Team. This is the most All-Conference honorees in one season for the Wolf Pack men's tennis program.
Loyola also had eight student-athletes earn All-Academic Team honors: de Preville, Gallegos, Izrael, Marin, Martin Ashworth, Spencer Matz, Samuel Motazed, and Jett Nguyen.
Izrael highlighted the group with a First-Team All-Conference selection, the program's first since the SSAC separated the All-Conference awards into two teams. The current No. 60 singles player in the NAIA, Izrael posted a 6-4 overall record in singles play, competing primarily at the top of the lineup, with a 4-4 mark at the No. 1 position. In doubles, he teamed with Gallegos for a team-best 7-3 record on the top court. He also represented Loyola on the SSAC Champions of Character Team.
Gallegos continued the strong start to his collegiate career with a 6-4 record in singles play, including a 6-3 mark at the No. 3 position. He and Izrael are currently ranked No. 32 in NAIA doubles. This was his second straight year making Second-Team All-Conference.
De Preville earns his third consecutive All-Conference selection after posting a 6-3 overall record in singles play. He saw time across the top of the lineup, including matches at both No. 1 and No. 2 singles, and added a 5-4 mark in doubles competition, winning two matches with Nguyen and three with Patrick Teuteberg.
Marin collected his first All-Conference honor after finishing with a 6-3 record in singles play, including a 6-2 mark at the No. 4 position. He also contributed in doubles with a 5-4 overall record, with all five of his wins coming at the No. 2 spot alongside freshman Luca Abati.
The Wolf Pack men's team will begin the 2026 SSAC Championship on Friday at the Mobile Tennis Center, facing either No. 3 seed Tennessee Southern or No. 6 seed Blue Mountain.
2026 SSAC Men's Tennis Awards
Coach of the Year: Marc Lux, William Carey
Player of the Year: Vinh Nguyen, William Carey
Doubles Team of the Year: Vinh Nguyen / Jean Nicolas Leblanc, William Carey
Freshman of the Year: Cruz Yanez, Abraham Baldwin
Newcomer of the Year: Vinh Nguyen, William Carey
Sportsmanship Award: William Carey
First-Team All-Conference
Vinh Nguyen, William Carey
Islam Orynbassar, William Carey
Luis De Santana, UT Southern
Cruz Yanez, Abraham Baldwin
Jean Nicolas Leblanc, William Carey
Sam Izrael, Loyola
Luka Blache, Abraham Baldwin
Gaspar Audisio, UT Southern
Simon Muntwyler, William Carey
Artur Ibragimov, William Carey
Second-Team All-Conference
Alfredo Gallegos, Loyola
Hippolyte de Preville, Loyola
Phil Louis Steinbichler, William Carey
Jules Zanarelli, Abraham Baldwin
Samuel Marin, Loyola
Leo Phijidvijan, William Carey
Yousseff Fazazi, Mobile
Davi Malvini, Mobile
Ayden Kousis, UT Southern
Benji Ranby-Al, Abraham Baldwin
All-Academic Team
Juan Bucheli Mendez, UT Southern
Quentin Ferron, UT Southern
Ryosuke Furuya, UT Southern
Brock Hamilton, UT Southern
Reece Holcombe, UT Southern
Daiki Ishii, UT Southern
John Parker, UT Southern
Elisha Sims, UT Southern
Luis Lainer, Blue Mountain Christian
Maj Langerholz, Blue Mountain Christian
Artur Ibragimov, William Carey
Jean Nicolas Leblanc, William Carey
Vinh Nguyen, William Carey
Islam Orynbassar, William Carey
Phil Louis Steinbichler, William Carey
Tyler Schofield, William Carey
Artur Lovison, Abraham Baldwin
Benjamin Ranby-Al, Abraham Baldwin
Milan Volbert, Abraham Baldwin
Martin Ashworth, Loyola
Hippolyte de Preville, Loyola
Alfredo Gallegos, Loyola
Sam Izrael, Loyola
Samuel Marin, Loyola
Spencer Matz, Loyola
Samuel Motazed, Loyola
Jett Nguyen, Loyola
Gabriel Esmanhotto, Mobile
Youssef Fazazi, Mobile
Goodwin Holley, Mobile
Lucca Leal, Mobile
Jacob Miller, Mobile
Johan Ong, Mobile
Andres Riveros-Tejada, Mobile
Champions of Character Team
Artur Lovison, Abraham Baldwin
Luis Lainer, Blue Mountain
Sam Izrael, Loyola
Youssef Fazazi, Mobile
Brock Hamilton, UT Southern
Vinh Nguyen, William Carey
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