CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Freshman Noah Zeiger of Gardner-Webb men's tennis has been named Big South Freshman of the Year while head coach Mike Griffith was tabbed Big South Coach of the Year for the fourth consecutive year and fifth time overall, as announced by the league on Wednesday afternoon.

In addition, Gardner-Webb placed eight members on the 2026 Big South All-Conference list.

Playing in his first collegiate year, Zeiger led the Runnin' Bulldogs with a 12-3 overall record in singles action where he mainly played on courts four and five while also winning eight matches in doubles competition.  In addition, Zeiger was named Big South Freshman of the Week on five separate occasions.  He tallied seven straight-set wins during the course of the season, including reeling off 10 consecutive victories while going undefeated in conference play.
 
Griffith led the Runnin' Bulldogs to their fourth consecutive Big South regular-season championship after posting a perfect 3-0 mark in conference play, including a 7-0 win at UNC Asheville.  Most impressively, Griffith's Runnin' Bulldogs played all of their matches away from the friendly confines of the Webb Tennis Complex, as GWU finished the regular-season with an overall record of 15-5.  Set to retire at the end of the season, Griffith surpassed 200 career wins during his time in the Big South after a 6-1 win over Converse on Feb. 28.  This recognition marks the fifth time Griffith has earned Coach of the Year honors and the fourth straight. 

Sophomores Alexandre Bergeron and Boyd Schreiber took home First Team honors in singles action while Zeiger was named Second Team singles. The duos of Schreiber and Kaua Cressoni, Bergeron and Zeiger, and Graham Bourne and Johan Van Wijk were named to the Second Team doubles team.

Gardner-Webb finished the year with a 15-5 overall record and 3-0 in Big South play, winning its fourth consecutive regular season conference championship. The Runnin' Bulldogs will play the winner of No. 4 Presbyterian and No. 5 UNC Asheville on Friday, April 17 with a first serve set for 3 p.m.