Pauri Pandian, the assistant coach for the men and women’s tennis teams, has been named the Division III Northeast Regional Assistant Coach of the Year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, Brandeis athletics announced on its website on May 8. 

This season marked the fourth of Pandian’s career in which he has worked under head coach Ben Lamanna. Pandian has helped the Judges earn national rankings for the past three seasons.  This season, both squads finished in sixth place in the University Athletic Association conference. The men’s team finished with a record of 9-11 this year, after important victories against Tufts University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and New York University. 

The Judges were only able to win one of three games in the UAA tournament. The team was able to put away the University of Rochester but fell to Carnegie Mellon University and Case Western Reserve University.

The squad was led by No. 1 singles player Brian Granoff ’17—who finished the season 9-12, and No. 2 singles player Michael Arguello ’17, who compiled a record of 14-7. Arguello and Jeff Cherkin ’17 led the doubles team for the Judges, as they went 13-9 in an excellent campaign.

The women’s team completed the season with a record of 11-10. The squad was victorious over key regional opponents Babson College, Wellesley College and Trinity College. 

The squad won one of three games in the UAA tournament, defeating Rochester while falling to Washington University in St. Louis and Case Western. 

The Judges were led by No. 1 singles player Carley Cooke ’15 and No. 2 singles player Haley Cohen ’18. Cooke finished the season with a record of 12-8 while Cohen went 9-9. Playing doubles together, the duo compiled a record of an impressive victory of 12-8. 

During Pandian’s time with the Judges, the teams have earned 13 UAA Athletes of the Week, 11 second-team All-Association honorees and 33 Academic All-Association honorees.

—Noah Hessdorf