BEREA, OHIO - Baldwin-Wallace College senior standout men's tennis scholar-athlete Alex Trzeciak (Avon Lake) is the Ohio Athletic Conference's May Scholar-Athlete of the Month.  He also is B-W's Male Clyde Lamb Award winner for 2011-12.

Trzeciak, who carries a 3.7 grade point average in mathematics and economics and plans to attend graduate school next fall at Washington (Mo.) University, is second all-time in wins in men's tennis and has an 83-19 career singles and 76-24 career doubles.  His 179 career combination wins also are second all-time.

"Alex exemplifies the term student-athlete," said veteran Yellow Jacket Head Coach Brian Rector '89, a former No.1 singles and doubles standout at B-W who once held all of the school's singles and doubles record and earned Academic All-America accolades in 1988-89.

"He is a fine tennis player, an excellent student, involved on campus and is a great team leader," continued Rector, who is the winningest men's tennis coach in OAC and Ohio collegiate history with 405 wins. "We are fortunate to have him at B-W and as a member of our tennis program.  Our younger players look up to Alex and also hope to duplicate his excellence."

This season, Trzeciak has led B-W to a perfect 23-0 record (as of April 24), including shutouts of its first five OAC opponents, and has helped B-W to compile an amazing four-year slate of 81-13.

Individually, Trzeciak has a 24-4 singles mark, including a 21-2 mark at No.1 singles and a 7-1 slate versus OAC competition.  In doubles play, he has combined with international transfer student Alexandre Bourdiaux (Paris, France/Lycee Saint Dominique) to form an outstanding combinatiin.  The duo have combined for a 17-2 slate, including a 6-1 mark in OAC action.  In addition, Trzeciak is a three-time All-OAC first-team choice and twice named Academic All-OAC, was tabbed CAPITAL ONE Academic All-District as a sophomore and recognized last spring by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) as a Scholar-Athlete.

In addition to his OAC, CAPITAL ONE and ITA academic honors, Trzeciak is a Dean's List student and a member of five separate academic honor societies. He also received the Wall Street Journal Business Award, interned at Imagine Software in Brooklyn, Ohio and has served as a tutor in mathematics and economics and as a camp instructor at the Yellow Ball Tennis Camp.

"Alex is having an outstanding senior season," said Rector. "Our goals have always been the same. We want to have an undefeated regular season, win the OAC regular season and tournament titles and make our first-ever trip to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.  "The young men in our program know this is Alex's last chance and they want to come through for him. We hope to continue to play well, straight through the regular season and OAC tourney and then see what happens."

While Trzeciak has had success this fall and spring, he has done it while battling a painful foot injury that at times has him wincing on the court.

"Alex has been playing hurt," said Rector. "We have asked him if he wants to take a break every now-and-then, but the competitor in him just won't let it happen.  He is definitely a fierce competitor. He doesn't want to let down his teammates. I think that is just another example of what makes Alex so special.

"We are really going to miss him next season," continued Rector, "but I don't want to think about that now. We have unfinished business to take care of and Alex is determined to lead us to a title. Regardless, Alex already is a winner."