WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University men's and women's tennis teams had three athletes named to the 2014 University Athletic Association (UAA) Men's and Women's Tennis All-Association Teams. Rookie Ryan Bunis of Groton, Mass., and junior Michael Secular of Bronx, N.Y., were second-team selections at fourth and sixth singles, respectively. On the women's side junior Carley Cooke, of San Diego, Calif., was a second-team selection at first singles.
Bunis won his last 10 singles matches of the year, nine of which came at No. 4. That included wins against four ranked teams, and a 3-0 record at the UAA Tournament. Bunis picked up the Judges' only point in the opening round of conference play against the No. 2 team in the country, Washington University. In that match, he defeated the Bears' Tim Noack, 6-0, 3-6, 10-6. Of Bunis' 10-straight victories, eight of them went three sets. In seven of those, he lost the first set before battling back.
Secular went 10-6 on the year, including 7-3 in the No. 6 slot. He had three wins against ranked teams this year, including a 7-5, 6-2 match against No. 17 University of Chicago's Max Hawkins at the UAA Tournament. He also defeated a Rochester player at UAAs, and finished 2-1 overall in conference.
Cooke went 3-0 at singles at the UAA Tournament last week, improving to 8-0 lifetime in conference play. She went 14-5 overall on the year, all at No. 1 singles, including 7-3 against ranked schools. Cooke defeated the seventh- and eighth-ranked singles players in the Northeast on back-to-back days in late March. At UAAs, she defeated the No. 1 player in the Central region, the University of Chicago's Megan Tang, 6-4, 6-1.
Cooke has represented the Judges at the NCAA Championships each of the last two seasons, claiming All-American honors in singles in 2012 and doubles last year. She was also All-UAA second-team in singles two years ago and doubles in 2013. The 2014 NCAA qualifiers have yet to be announced.
The women's tennis finished 11-11 on the year and sixth at the UAA Tournament. The men's side was 11-9 overall, and finished seventh in the conference. Both of coach Ben Lamanna's squads are nationally ranked – the women's team is No. 22 in the country, while the men have been as high as No. 24, and are currently ranked 30th.
Bunis is a 2013 graduate of Groton-Dunstable Regional High School. He is the son of Henry and Dianne Bunis, Groton, Mass.
Secular is a 2011 graduate of H.B. Plant High School. He is the son of David and Sallie Secular, Bronx, N.Y.
Cooke is a 2011 graduate of Point Loma High School. She is the daughter of Michael and Elysia Cooke, San Diego, Calif.