Portland men’s tennis players Nikola Keremedchiev and Cade Fernando received West Coast Conference honors, the league office announced on Apr. 21. Keremedchiev was named to the All-WCC Second Team in singles, while Fernando earned honorable mention. Together, they also received honorable mention recognition in doubles.
These recognitions highlight the strong performances of both athletes during the regular season and their contributions to the team’s success.
Keremedchiev, a senior from Sofia, Bulgaria, finished with a 16-8 overall record in singles play and posted a 10-5 mark at No. 1 singles during dual matches. He remained undefeated against WCC opponents in dual matches with a 3-0 record. Fernando, a junior from West Linn, Oregon, competed at both No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions and tallied 19 wins overall this season; he recorded a 12-6 dual match record in singles and went even at 3-3 within conference play.
As doubles partners, Keremedchiev and Fernando were among the top teams in the conference with an overall record of 19-5 this season. They went 12-4 at No.1 doubles in dual matches and achieved a league mark of 3-1.
Under head coach Aaron Gross, Portland qualified for the WCC Championships for the fifth straight year. The team enters as the No.5 seed and is set to face fourth-seeded LMU—ranked No.55 nationally—on Thursday morning at Green Valley Country Club in the opening round of competition.
The broader significance of these honors reflects positively on Portland’s tennis program as it continues its run of postseason appearances under Coach Gross.
