IRVING, Texas – Baylor men's tennis was honored with five All-Big 12 honors, including Newcomer of the Year, as announced by the conference office on Wednesday afternoon.
 
Graduate transfer Alexandru Chirita was named the 2025 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, becoming the first Bear to win the award since Charlie Broom in 2021. Additionally, Devin Badenhorst and Zsombor Velcz were named on the First Team Singles list, both earning first team honors in their careers. On the First Team Doubles, the duos of Oskar Brostrom Poulsen/Marko Miladinovic and Badenhorst/Luc Koenig earned spots.
 
Joining the Bears in January, Chirita posted a 15-5 record in singles in the spring, including one ranked win. The Romanian competed primarily on Courts Four and Five. Chirita secured an 8-4 record on Court Four and dominant 6-1 record on Court Five. In doubles, the graduate went 10-6 and found success with Velcz on Court Three going 6-4. Chirita finished the spring going 5-1 in doubles heading into the postseason.
 
Badenhorst led for the Bears all season, competing on Court One for the entire spring. The All-Big 12 First Team honor comes from Badenhorst's 22-16 overall record with a 12-12 record in dual matches. The South African sophomore went 6-9 against nationally ranked players this spring as he himself maintained a career-high ranking of 25^th in the nation.
 
Velcz achieved a perfect 6-0 record in conference play this season to tab his opening First Team honor in his career. The junior holds a 24-12 overall record for the season and 14-7 record in dual matches this spring. Velcz was a staple for the Bears on Court Three with a dominant 11-4 record. In the final swing of the regular season, the Hungarian went on a tear with an 11-match win streak to carry the Bears into the postseason.
 
In doubles, the duo of Brostrom Poulsen and Miladinovic showed not only success on Court One but leadership from the two senior captains. Playing together all year, the two began the year as the 2024 ITA Summer Nationals Doubles Champions. Carrying their success over from the summer, the pair went 13-12 in dual matches, facing off against nationally ranked doubles team in nearly half of their matches. In conference play, the senior duo went 5-3 to help lead the Bears.
 
Childhood best friends and doubles partners, Badenhorst and Koenig know how to find success on and off the court. Playing together for the second year in a row, the two dominated Court Two with a 13-5 record. The South African duo won five straight matches to kickstart the spring season and carried their momentum all the way through.
 
All the All-Big 12 honors mark as a first for all five Bears recognized.  
 
Baylor begins the NCAA Championship tournament with their 27th-straight bid on Saturday morning at 10 am CT in College Station against No. 40 Nebraska. The match will be streamed at 12thman.com and live stats will be available online.
 
For the latest news on the Baylor men's tennis team, follow its official Facebook, X and Instagram accounts: @BaylorMTennis. Big 12 Men's Tennis Yearly Awards
Player of the Year- Colton Smith, Arizona
Freshman of the Year- Cooper Woestendick, TCU
Newcomer of the Year- Alexandru Chirita, Baylor
Scholar-Athlete of the Year- Jay Friend, Arizona
Coach of the Year- David Roditi, TCU
 
All-Big 12 First Team Singles
Jay Friend, Arizona
Colton Smith, Arizona
Bor Artnak, Arizona State
Devin Badenhorst, Baylor
Zsombor Velcz, Baylor
Mehdi Benchakroun, UCF
Yassine Dlimi, UCF
Isaac Becroft, Oklahoma State
Lui Maxted, TCU
Jack Pinnington, TCU
Pedro Vives, TCU
Cooper Woestendick, TCU
 
All-Big 12 First Team Doubles
Jay Friend/Eric Padgham, Arizona
Colton Smith/Inaki Cabrera, Arizona
Devin Badenhorst/Luc Koenig, Baylor
Oskar Brostrom-Poulsen/Marko Miladinovic, Baylor
Lui Maxted/Pedro Vives, TCU
Jack Pinnington/Cooper Woestendick, TCU