Clarksville, Tenn. – Senior Dimitar Ristovski, of the Austin Peay State University men’s tennis team, has been named the Copies in a Flash APSU Athlete of the Week.
Ristovski put the Govs on his back during a splendid Ohio Valley Conference Tournament run, going unbeaten in at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles as Austin Peay advanced to the OVC Championship match for the second team in three seasons under head coach Ross Brown. In the opening round, Ristovski and senior Iago Seffrin clinched the doubles point with an 8-6 win over Morehead State’s Ritchie Kruunenberg and Gabriel Ruiz, helping the Govs sweep the Eagles.
Saturday, Ristovski rallied the Govs to their first victory over Tennessee Tech during his career, with he and Seffrin dispatching Alex Arovin and Alberton Esteban 8-7 for the doubles point and then beating Arovin, the OVC Player of the Year, 6-3, 7-5 to clinch the Govs’ berth in the championship match.
In Sunday’s final, the Macedonian polished off Eastern Kentucky’s Alex Alvaro 6-4, 6-3 at No. 1 singles but the Govs could not rally past the Colonels after dropping the doubles point, losing 4-2.
The Copies in a Flash APSU Athlete of the Week is selected by the APSU Sports Information staff each Tuesday during the academic year. Copies in a Flash, of Clarksville, sponsors the award.
Other notable performances by Austin Peay athletes included:
- Sophomore jumper Kaylnn Pitts, of the track and field team, won the triple jump for the fourth time in as many outdoor meets, breaking the school record with a 12.71m leap at the APSU Invitational, Friday. Pitts came back and tied her personal best in Saturday’s long jump with a 5.87m leap, earning the victory in that event as well.
- Sophomore catcher Ridge Smith, of the baseball team, hit .706 (12-for-18) last week, scoring eight runs total including five in the midweek against Southern Illinois. Smith opened the Govs series at EKU with a 5-for-5 day at the plate as Austin Peay pounded out a 17-3 win against the Colonels. Smith earned Tennessee Sports Writers Association Baseball Player of the Week honors for his work.
