FLORENCE, S.C. | The Peach Belt Conference announced the 2016 men's and women's tennis All-Conference teams at a banquet in Florence, S.C., site of this year's conference tournament, with three University of North Georgia representatives. Head coach Kent Norsworthy was named the men's tennis co-Coach of the Year while Philipp Mueller and Kathrin Waidner were each picked as second team All-Conference selections in singles.

In his 11^th season at North Georgia, Kent Norsworthy receives his first PBC Coach of the Year honor.  The 2016 Nighthawks are in the midst of their best season yet in the NCAA era with a 15-6 overall record, the most wins in program history as an NCAA Division II institution. 

UNG is ranked No. 22 in the nation and went 5-5 in league play for the fifth seed in the upcoming PBC Tournament, their second straight year as the No. 5 seed marking their highest seed in the event. 

North Georgia has increased their win total for three years in a row and have wins over four nationally-ranked opponents including a 6-3 win over 14^th-ranked Flagler in the regular-season finale.

Mueller posted an 11-8 singles record in the top singles line and teamed with Niklas Zielen for a 12-7 ledger in doubles.  The Niddatal, Germany native spent a majority of the year ranked inside the top-20 in the region in singles and is currently ranked ninth regionally in doubles.  Mueller opened the season with five consecutive victories and capped the season by winning three of four matches including a pair of wins over nationally-ranked opponents.

Mueller's honor is the fifth PBC singles all-conference distinction for the UNG men's tennis program and the first since Mateus Camasmie was voted to second team in 2014.

Waidner etched her way into the records book as she set a new program single season records for singles wins with 15, with all but one in the No. 1 singles spot, and doubles victories with 16. The Nesselwang, Germany native, also opened the year with five consecutive singles victories and punctuated her record year with a victory over the nation's 49^th-ranked player.

Waidner's honor is the first for the UNG women's tennis team in the NCAA and PBC era.
 
The All-Conference teams are selected by the league's head coaches.  Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.

Both UNG teams kick off their PBC Tournament runs tomorrow (Apr. 22) with the women seventh-seeded women taking on second-seeded Columbus State at 9:00 a.m. at the Dr. Eddie Floyd Florence Tennis Center. The fifth-seeded Nighthawk men face fourth-seeded Georgia College at 1:00 p.m.