The Southeastern Conference (SEC) announced on Thursday that five players from the University of Kentucky Men’s Tennis team have received All-SEC honors for their outstanding performance during the 2023 season. Liam Draxl, Alafia Ayeni, Josh Lapadat, Taha Baadi, and Jaden Weekes have all been recognized for their exceptional play this year.
Kentucky’s top players Draxl, Ayeni, and Lapadat have earned spots on the First Team, while Baadi has been selected for the Second Team and Weekes has been named to the 2023 All-Freshman team. This marks the most First-Team selections for the Wildcats since 2012 when they had four, and ties them with Georgia for the most in the conference.
Senior Liam Draxl, hailing from Ontario, Canada, continued to dominate at the top of the UK singles lineup, achieving a 17-5 singles record before the postseason. This is Draxl’s third consecutive year being named to the All-SEC First Team. He led the team with seven ranked victories in singles during the regular season and had impressive records in both singles (8-3) and doubles (8-2) during conference play.
In his first season at Kentucky, grad-transfer Alafia Ayeni has made a significant impact, playing primarily at the No. 2 spot in the singles lineup. Ayeni amassed a 13-8 record during the regular season and a 7-4 SEC record. The former two-time All-Ivy First Team member added six ranked singles wins and played on the top doubles court throughout the conference season.
Josh Lapadat, a junior from Ontario, Canada, rounds out the First-Team selections after an impressive regular season with a 17-4 singles record, the best win percentage on the team. Alongside doubles partner JJ Mercer, Lapadat led Kentucky with 12 doubles wins prior to the postseason. Lapadat has been honored with multiple awards in 2023, including the ITA Indoor All-Tournament Team in singles and doubles and MVP honors at the SEC Tournament, where he helped the Wildcats secure the title.
In his debut season in the SEC, Taha Baadi, a senior transfer from Wake Forest, earned a spot on the Second Team after a strong 15-6 singles record in the dual season, including an unbeaten non-conference record. Baadi also picked up eight doubles wins on the top court and was named SEC Athlete of the Week after clinching UK’s 4-3 upset victory over No. 1 Virginia.
Finally, freshman Jaden Weekes made a lasting impression during his first collegiate semester, with a 12-6 singles record in the regular season and a 7-4 record in conference play. Weekes also had a strong 8-2 SEC doubles record alongside Draxl and totaled 15 doubles victories prior to the SEC Tournament. Weekes played a crucial role in Kentucky’s SEC Tournament Championship win over Georgia, securing the program’s second-ever SEC Tournament title with a decisive third-set tiebreaker.
The outstanding achievements of these five players have contributed significantly to the success of the Kentucky Wildcats Men’s Tennis team in the 2023 season, and their recognition at the All-SEC level highlights their dedication and skill on the court.