Columbia men’s tennis senior Michael Zheng was named Ivy League Player of the Year for the third time, according to an April 30 announcement. Four other Columbia players—Nicolas Kotzen, Abhishek Thorat, Sachin Palta, and Andrew Ena—also received all-conference honors.
Zheng is a back-to-back NCAA Singles Champion and now becomes only the second player in Ivy League history to win Player of the Year three times since the award began in 1987. The only other player with this achievement is Princeton’s Matija Pecotic. Zheng also earned First Team All-Ivy League honors in both singles and doubles for a fourth time. He finished this season with a record of 22-6 overall and went 10-5 playing at No. 1 singles, including a 4-2 mark in Ivy League matches.
In doubles play, Zheng posted an 8-5 record this spring alongside partner Nicolas Kotzen. The pair had previously earned First Team Doubles honors last year as well. Kotzen himself achieved all-conference recognition in both singles and doubles for his third consecutive season, securing First Team status again in each category after winning a career-best 28 matches during the year.
First-year player Abhishek Thorat received Honorable Mention accolades after finishing his first season with a singles record of 17-12 overall and going on a strong run late in the spring that included six wins out of seven Ivy League contests. Palta was honored alongside Ena as they formed one of Columbia’s strongest doubles teams this year.
“We are extremely proud of our players who have shown amazing commitment to our program,” said Endelman. “They have selflessly bought into a culture valuing the team over individual achievement.” Columbia is scheduled to compete against St. John’s tomorrow at noon in Charlottesville Regional’s first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The broader significance lies in Columbia’s sustained success within collegiate tennis, highlighted by repeated individual awards and strong team performances.
