BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – For the third time this season and fourth time in his career, senior Arthur Rinderknech was named the SEC Player of the Week, announced Wednesday morning by the league office. Rinderknech, the No. 10 player in the country according to the ITA, picked up a pair of ranked singles wins over the weekend to help the No. 5 Aggies clinch the 2018 SEC Championship.
Rinderknech ended the regular season on a four match win streak to help the Aggies clinch their first ever outright SEC Championship after completing the program’s first undefeated conference season since 2001. Each of the four wins have been over ranked foes. His win against No. 19 Giovanni Oradini of Mississippi State pushed the Aggies ahead 3-1 to set up teammate Juan Carlos Aguilar for the clinch victory. His win against the Tigers on Sunday was again the third point for the Maroon & White, topping No. 86 De Vincentis of Auburn in straight sets.
The Paris, France native, stands at 12-2 this spring against ranked foes and 19-3 overall, his 12 ranked wins this spring leads the league. The 2-0 singles weekend moved him into a tie for 16th on Texas A&M’s all-time singles victories list (64), passing Robbie Krause (’94-’97) and Steve Kennedy (’87-’91). Just two wins from reaching the top-10. His 60 doubles victories in his career tie for 13th on the A&M all-time list and his combined dual wins total of 124 ranks 12th on the all-time A&M ledger.
Alex Diaz of Georgia earned Freshman of the Week honors.
The Maroon & White earned the top seed in the SEC Tournament, April 25-29 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Texas A&M received a double bye and will await the winner of No. 19 Georgia and Arkansas on Friday, April 27 at 4:00 p.m. on the Crimson Tide campus. The Aggies have advanced to at least the semifinals in every SEC Tournament that they have participated in since joining the league for the 2013 season and won both the 2014 and 2015 trophy.
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Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics