VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State senior Yohan Nguyen was named the ITA South Region Senior Player of the Year, while junior Florian Simbozel was named the ITA South Region Player to Watch for 2020-21. 
 
Along with Nguyen and SImbozel, Auburn Montgomery's Muhamad Bedwan earned South Region Rookie of the Year honors among other Gulf South Conference winners.  Auburn Montgomery also shared Honorable Mention ITA Community Service Award accolades with Saint Leo.  Palm Beach Atlantic University won the ITA Community Service Award, while Phillip Hoffman of PBA was named the Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award winner and Lynn's Robin Calais was named the ITA South Region Most Improved Senior. 
 
The Blazer tandem earned ITA All-America honors in doubles, while Nguyen also was an ITA All-America selection in singles.  The duo became the first Blazer All-America doubles team since 2015 when Edward Nguyen and NIklas Herbing earned the prestigious honor.  Y. Nguyen ran the VSU streak of consecutive singles All-America honorees to five-straight years.
 
Y. Nguyen a native of Paris, France, completed a standout two-year career for the Blazers as he went 7-1 in singles this spring at the top spot in the Blazer lineup.  He was 2-1 in Gulf South Conference play and finished second in the ITA South Region singles rankings before the season was cancelled in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  He is one of two student-athletes from the GSC to earn ITA Singles All-America honors as West Florida's Serdar Bjadjiev is the other.  Y. Nguyen was 5-2 in doubles with Simbozel for the spring and the duo finished fourth in the final South Region rankings. 
 
In the fall, Y. Nguyen went 1-1 in the ITA Cup and reached the finals of the D2 Men's South Regionals, losing to top-ranked Alejandro Ibanez Gallego of Barry, 1-6, 7-6, 6-3.  Simbozel and Nguyen won the D2 Men's Fall South Regional with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Delta State duo of Hugo Stroppiana-Pillon and Mason Vice.  Nguyen and Simbozel went 9-5 overall in doubles for the season.  Nguyen was 12-3 overall in singles for the year.

In 2018-19, Y. Nguyen went 17-2 in singles during the spring and a perfect 10-0 in GSC play at the No. 3 spot in the lineup.  He earned All-GSC honors for his efforts and went 8-3 in doubles with former Blazer Axel Holm at the top spot in the lineup and 3-3 in GSC play.  He won is final 16 dual matches of the season after starting 1-1. 
 
Simbozel, also a native of Paris, France, went 8-1 in dual matches this season in singles and 3-0 in conference play at the No. 2 spot.  He was 9-8 last season in singles and 5-4 in GSC play.  Simbozel went 14-1 in doubles for former Blazer Jordi Mas and 8-1 in GSC play at the No. 2 spot in the lineup.  Simbozel earned second team all-conference honors as a sophomore last season.  As a freshman, he went 13-4 in singles and finished 24^th nationally.  Simbozel was 15-7 with Mas in doubles for 17^th nationally and earned first team all-conference honors.