Wake Forest Athletics
Three Demon Deacons Earn ITA Carolina Regional Awards
6/9/2026 11:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Brian Baker, Mees Rottgering and DK Suresh all earned Carolina Regional honors.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Following another historic season that saw Wake Forest capture ACC regular season and tournament championships while advancing to the NCAA semifinals for the third-consecutive year, three members of the Demon Deacons men's tennis program earned ITA Carolina Regional honors as announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Tuesday morning.
Assistant coach Brian Baker was named ITA Carolina Regional Assistant Coach of the Year, freshman Mees Rottgering earned Rookie of the Year recognition while senior DK Suresh was selected as the Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award winner.
The honors continue Wake Forest's recent run of success at the regional level. Rottgering becomes the third-straight Demon Deacon to earn Carolina Regional Rookie of the Year honors, while Suresh gives Wake Forest back-to-back Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award recipients. Baker is the first Demon Deacon assistant coach to receive Carolina Regional Assistant Coach of the Year recognition since Jeremy Feldman in 2015 and just the fourth in program history.
Brian Baker - ITA Carolina Regional Assistant Coach of the Year
In his third season with the Demon Deacons, Baker helped guide Wake Forest to one of the most successful campaigns in program history.
The Demon Deacons finished the season with a 34-4 overall record while claiming both the ACC regular season and tournament championships before advancing to the NCAA semifinals for the third-consecutive season. Wake Forest additionally recorded 24 ranked victories, including five against top-10 opponents.
Under Baker's guidance, Wake Forest continued its dominance in doubles play, securing the doubles point in 35 of 38 matches while producing the nation's No. 1-ranked doubles team in Andrew Delgado and DK Suresh. The Demon Deacons also extended the nation's longest active home winning streak to 49 matches and finished the year undefeated at the Wake Forest Tennis Center for a second-consecutive season.
Baker's impact was felt throughout the lineup as Wake Forest developed one of the deepest teams in the country, finishing with a combined 91-18 singles record on courts three through six and producing multiple nationally-ranked players across both singles and doubles.
Mees Rottgering - ITA Carolina Regional Rookie of the Year
Ranked No. 24 in the final ITA singles rankings, Rottgering finished the season as Wake Forest's highest-ranked player after one of the most accomplished freshman campaigns in recent program history.
The Dutch standout became the sixth Demon Deacon to earn ACC Freshman of the Year honors while also being named ACC Tournament MVP. He finished the season with an 18-3 singles record, eight ranked victories and an ATP Tour debut already on his résumé.
Rottgering played a pivotal role in helping Wake Forest secure ACC regular season and tournament championships while advancing to another NCAA semifinal. He capped his freshman campaign with a straight-set victory over Virginia's No. 21-ranked Keegan Rice during NCAA Championship weekend.
In doubles, Rottgering teamed with Kacper Szymkowiak to post a perfect 16-0 record while finishing the season ranked No. 51 nationally. The duo was one of the nation's most consistent pairings throughout the spring and helped fuel Wake Forest's dominance in doubles play.
With the honor, Rottgering becomes the third-consecutive Demon Deacon to earn ITA Carolina Regional Rookie of the Year recognition.
DK Suresh - ITA Carolina Regional Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award
As the ITA's longest-running award, the Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award honors the life and legacy of one of the greatest collegiate tennis players of all time. The award recognizes a student-athlete who demonstrates extraordinary commitment and dedication to his team while exemplifying exceptional hard work, courage, sportsmanship and leadership. Nobody better embodied those qualities this season than Suresh.
A leader on and off the court, Suresh consistently placed team success above individual achievement while helping lead the Demon Deacons to ACC regular season and tournament championships and another NCAA semifinal appearance. Throughout his collegiate career, he has served as a trusted teammate, mentor and representative of the program, earning the respect of coaches, teammates and opponents alike.
"Throughout my tennis career, I have always believed that success is about more than just winning matches," Suresh said. "The most important thing to me has been being a good teammate, representing my team and country the right way, and helping others around me improve every day."
Suresh's accomplishments extended far beyond the court. A two-time ITA All-American in both singles and doubles, he was named ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2025 and earned CSC Academic All-America honors while competing at the highest level of collegiate tennis. He also represented his native India in Davis Cup competition and helped lead his country to a significant international victory earlier this year.
During his final season in Winston-Salem, Suresh helped form the nation's No. 1-ranked doubles team alongside Andrew Delgado and finished his Wake Forest career with 100 doubles victories, the fourth-most in program history.
For the second-consecutive season, a Demon Deacon has earned the ITA Carolina Regional Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award, further reflecting the culture of excellence, leadership and selflessness that continues to define Wake Forest men's tennis.
Assistant coach Brian Baker was named ITA Carolina Regional Assistant Coach of the Year, freshman Mees Rottgering earned Rookie of the Year recognition while senior DK Suresh was selected as the Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award winner.
The honors continue Wake Forest's recent run of success at the regional level. Rottgering becomes the third-straight Demon Deacon to earn Carolina Regional Rookie of the Year honors, while Suresh gives Wake Forest back-to-back Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award recipients. Baker is the first Demon Deacon assistant coach to receive Carolina Regional Assistant Coach of the Year recognition since Jeremy Feldman in 2015 and just the fourth in program history.
Brian Baker - ITA Carolina Regional Assistant Coach of the Year
In his third season with the Demon Deacons, Baker helped guide Wake Forest to one of the most successful campaigns in program history.
The Demon Deacons finished the season with a 34-4 overall record while claiming both the ACC regular season and tournament championships before advancing to the NCAA semifinals for the third-consecutive season. Wake Forest additionally recorded 24 ranked victories, including five against top-10 opponents.
Under Baker's guidance, Wake Forest continued its dominance in doubles play, securing the doubles point in 35 of 38 matches while producing the nation's No. 1-ranked doubles team in Andrew Delgado and DK Suresh. The Demon Deacons also extended the nation's longest active home winning streak to 49 matches and finished the year undefeated at the Wake Forest Tennis Center for a second-consecutive season.
Baker's impact was felt throughout the lineup as Wake Forest developed one of the deepest teams in the country, finishing with a combined 91-18 singles record on courts three through six and producing multiple nationally-ranked players across both singles and doubles.
Mees Rottgering - ITA Carolina Regional Rookie of the Year
Ranked No. 24 in the final ITA singles rankings, Rottgering finished the season as Wake Forest's highest-ranked player after one of the most accomplished freshman campaigns in recent program history.
The Dutch standout became the sixth Demon Deacon to earn ACC Freshman of the Year honors while also being named ACC Tournament MVP. He finished the season with an 18-3 singles record, eight ranked victories and an ATP Tour debut already on his résumé.
Rottgering played a pivotal role in helping Wake Forest secure ACC regular season and tournament championships while advancing to another NCAA semifinal. He capped his freshman campaign with a straight-set victory over Virginia's No. 21-ranked Keegan Rice during NCAA Championship weekend.
In doubles, Rottgering teamed with Kacper Szymkowiak to post a perfect 16-0 record while finishing the season ranked No. 51 nationally. The duo was one of the nation's most consistent pairings throughout the spring and helped fuel Wake Forest's dominance in doubles play.
With the honor, Rottgering becomes the third-consecutive Demon Deacon to earn ITA Carolina Regional Rookie of the Year recognition.
DK Suresh - ITA Carolina Regional Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award
As the ITA's longest-running award, the Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award honors the life and legacy of one of the greatest collegiate tennis players of all time. The award recognizes a student-athlete who demonstrates extraordinary commitment and dedication to his team while exemplifying exceptional hard work, courage, sportsmanship and leadership. Nobody better embodied those qualities this season than Suresh.
A leader on and off the court, Suresh consistently placed team success above individual achievement while helping lead the Demon Deacons to ACC regular season and tournament championships and another NCAA semifinal appearance. Throughout his collegiate career, he has served as a trusted teammate, mentor and representative of the program, earning the respect of coaches, teammates and opponents alike.
"Throughout my tennis career, I have always believed that success is about more than just winning matches," Suresh said. "The most important thing to me has been being a good teammate, representing my team and country the right way, and helping others around me improve every day."
Suresh's accomplishments extended far beyond the court. A two-time ITA All-American in both singles and doubles, he was named ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2025 and earned CSC Academic All-America honors while competing at the highest level of collegiate tennis. He also represented his native India in Davis Cup competition and helped lead his country to a significant international victory earlier this year.
During his final season in Winston-Salem, Suresh helped form the nation's No. 1-ranked doubles team alongside Andrew Delgado and finished his Wake Forest career with 100 doubles victories, the fourth-most in program history.
For the second-consecutive season, a Demon Deacon has earned the ITA Carolina Regional Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award, further reflecting the culture of excellence, leadership and selflessness that continues to define Wake Forest men's tennis.
Players Mentioned
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