University of Minnesota junior men's tennis player D.J. Geatz (Minneapolis, Minn.) has been named to the 2006 Men's Tennis All-Big Ten Team. One of six unanimous selections, Geatz earned his first all-conference honor after earning a dual match record of 13-11 (6 -4 Big Ten) and a national singles ranking of 58. Geatz and the 41st-ranked Maroon and Gold face No. 52 Penn State today at 2 p.m., in the quarterfinals of the 2006 Big Ten Championship at the Baseline Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota.

Son of Head Coach David Geatz, D.J. Geatz has played all but three of his matches at No. 1 singles. A native of Minneapolis, Geatz began the season with a quarterfinal appearance at the 2005 Big Ten Singles Championship before storming out of the gates in the dual season to vault up the national rankings. Unranked in singles to start the year, Geatz rose to as high as No. 49 after posting a 7-6 record vs. ranked opponents with wins over then-Nos. 32, 44, 47, 50, 55, 110 and 125.

For the season, Geatz owns a 20-14 singles record and a 7-13 record in doubles dual matches. He owns a 5-5 mark with junior Nic Edlefsen. The duo has won five of its last seven matches.

In addition to the All-Big Ten Team announcement, senior Adrien Debreyne was named Minnesota's 2006 Sportsmanship Award Honoree. The senior from Mons en Baroeul, France posted a 15-11 overall singles record, a 10-9 mark in duals and a 6-1 record in the Big Ten. As a Sportsmanship Award Honoree, Debreyne distinguished himself through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. To be eligible for the award, the student-athlete must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. Debreyne is now a candidate for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, as the Conference office will honor one male and one female student-athlete from each institution at the end of the school year.

A complete list of the 2006 All-Big Ten team and postseason honorees are listed below.

2006 All-Big Ten Team
Kevin Anderson, Illinois
Ryler DeHeart, Illinois *
Dmytro Ishtuganov, Indiana
Matko Maravic, Michigan *
Nick Rinks, Michigan State
D.J. Geatz, Minnesota *
Christian Tempke, Northwestern
Chris Klingemann, Ohio State *
Bryan Koniecko, Ohio State
Devin Mullings, Ohio State
Mark Barry, Penn State *
Jeremy Sonkin, Wisconsin *

Athlete of the Year - Ryler DeHeart, Illinois *
Freshman of the Year - Bryan Koniecko, Ohio State *
Coach of the Year - Ty Tucker, Ohio State *

* unanimous selection