PORTLAND, Ore. --- After a historical season on The Bluff, women's cross country runner Lauren LaRocco and men's tennis player Michail Pervolarakis are the University of Portland's 2016-17 Fr. Chester Prusynski Student-Athletes of the Year. The award annually recognizes the top University of Portland student-athletes based on athletic and academic credentials.
LaRocco nabs her second straight Father Pru Award, while Pervolarakis is the first men's tennis player to earn UP's top honor since Travis Parrott in 2002.
LaRocco, who originally hails from Sacramento, Calif., claims her second Student-Athlete of the Year honors after another exceptional year. She started off her junior season by leading the Pilots to a first-place finish at the Roy Griak Invitational in September with a third-place individual finish. Her performance helped the Pilots top seven other ranked teams, including three top-10 teams. After the Griak Invite win, LaRocco also reached a new individual high by ranking sixth in the national rankings on FloTrack, while helping her team rise to No. 5 nationally and No. 2 regionally, marking a program-best.
LaRocco placed fifth at the NCAA Pre-National meet for a fourth-place team finish and won the individual title at the WCC Championships to lead the Pilots to their first team title since 2008. LaRocco earned All-WCC First Team and league all-academic honors, she was named as the back-to-back WCC Cross Country Runner of the Month for September and October, and she was named Portland's U.S. Bank Student-Athlete of the Month for October.
The Pilots then received their first ever team bid to the NCAA Cross Country Championships, as LaRocco placed 29th overall earning First Team All-American honors.
Pervolarakis was the catalyst for a record-breaking season for the Portland men's tennis team as he became the first player in program history to earn West Coast Conference Player of the Year honors. His strong play at the top of the lineup also led the Pilots to their first-ever WCC regular season championship, an 18-3 overall team record, and a ranking of No. 48 nationally to close the season.
The Limassol, Cyprus, native posted a 25-7 overall singles record his junior year and 17-3 dual singles record. He finished 7-1 against WCC opponents and became just the second Pilot to earn All-WCC First Team honors twice. Pervolarakis also teamed up with Mathieu Garcia as an All-WCC First Team doubles tandem for the second consecutive season.
Pervolarakis was nationally ranked in singles a majority of the spring season with a high of No. 56 on Feb. 8. He twice earned WCC Singles Player of the Week honors and once was named to the WCC Doubles Team of the Week. He also was named the Portland U.S. Bank Student-Athlete of the Month in March after going 7-0 in singles and 6-0 in doubles for the month.
In the fall, he won four matches at the ITA Northwest Regionals to advance to the quarterfinals before losing to No. 17-ranked Andre Goransson of California. Pervolarakis also reached the quarterfinals of the Battle of the Bay Classic, including a win over No. 48-ranked Logan Smith of USC and then partnered with Mathieu Garcia to claim the top flight doubles title at the Larry Easley Memorial Classic.
