Theilgaard named first team singles, earns doubles honorable mention

Throughout his sophomore season, Montana men's tennis standout Gustav Theilgaard did what only one Grizzly in modern program history had before: play No. 1 for the Griz in his second year of college tennis.

And he did it well.

On Monday, the Big Sky announced that Theilgaard was one of just six players in the league to earn first-team all-conference honors in its year-end awards.

Not only that, he also picked up an all-conference honorable mention in doubles with his partner, freshman Tom Bittner.

It's been 20 years since Jan Steenekamp became the first UM No. 1 to earn first-team all-conference honors.

Heading up a youthful Montana roster in 2023, Theilgaard assumed that leadership role for the Griz to follow in Steenekamp's footsteps with a 9-7 overall singles record and a 4-3 conference record in the top position.

Highlighted by a huge win over No. 66 Northern Arizona's No. 1 Maikel De Boes at altitude in Flagstaff and a three-set win over Air Force No. 1 Nick Vroman in Colorado Springs, Theilgaard finished the year with the fifth-best overall win percentage in the league at .562 on court one.

And coaches around the Big Sky took notice.

"I just saw so much growth and maturity out of Gustav this season. Being a sophomore at number one is a very tough ask and a lot of pressure. We were so young we didn't have a senior to fall on for leadership, so we had to figure it out as a team, and he had to figure it out individually. He just did a great job of putting the pieces together and finding his best tennis toward the end of the season," said head coach Jason Brown.

"He matured into a really nice leader, and I think this award will do nothing but spur that on in the coming seasons."

The Dane started his career at UM in 2022 with a 12-5 record his freshman year and two Big Sky Player of the Week honors to go with it playing primarily at No. 4 for the Griz. He now prepares to enter his junior year with a 21-12 overall singles record for two seasons.

theilgaard bittner all big sky

In doubles, Theilgaard and Bittner combined late in the season to find immediate success with a 4-1 overall record together and an undefeated 3-0 mark in conference play. The sophomore/freshman pair's 4-1 overall record would turn out to be the third-best win percentage in the league at .800 as well.

With Montana only playing one junior in its regular lineup this season and now having award-winning depth among its underclassmen ranks, the future bodes well for the Griz.

"Literally every place we went on the road was new for both of them in conference play, and they did a great job of figuring it out as they went," added Brown.

"The honorable mention speaks to their potential in both singles and doubles. They're both good kids and fight really hard on the court, and I'm glad the coaches around the league recognize that."

2023 Big Sky Men's Tennis All-Conference Awards

MVP: Francisco Bascon (UI)
Freshman of the Year: Valentino De Pellegrin (ISU)
Coach of the Year: Daniel Hangstefer (Idaho)

2023 Big Sky Men's Tennis All-Conference Teams

All-Big Sky Singles First Team
Francisco Bascon (UI)*
Mark Keki (SAC)*
Piotr Galus (NAU)*
Mate Voros (SAC)
Gustav Theilgaard (UM)
Tristan Sarap (WSU)
* - Unanimous first team selection

All-Big Sky Singles Second Team
Facundo Tumosa (NAU)
Sebastian Buxman (WSU)
Dominik Buzonics (NAU)
Alex Groves (NAU)
Francisco Gay (UI)
Valentino De Pellegrin (ISU)

All-Big Sky Singles Honorable Mention
Bruno Casino (UI)
Andreas Kramer (ISU)
Taiyo Kurata (UI)

All-Big Sky Doubles First Team
Mark Keki/Mate Voros (SAC)
Facundo Tumosa/Maikel De Boes (NAU)
Alex Groves/Piotr Galus (NAU)

All-Big Sky Doubles Second Team
Francisco Bascon/Matteo Masala (UI)
Tristan Sarap/Elyes Marouani (WSU)
Francisco Gay/Taiyo Kurata (UI)

All-Big Sky Doubles Honorable Mention
Andreas Kramer/Valentino De Pellegrin (ISU)
Gustav Theilgaard/Tom Bittner (UM)
Dominik Buzonics/Daniel Dillon (NAU)

University of Montana Athletics

Theilgaard named first team singles, earns doubles honorable mention

Players Mentioned

Tom Bittner

Gustav Theilgaard

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