FRISCO, Texas – Highlighting the postseason awards recognizing academic excellence,
Josef Zapletal of the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's tennis team was named the 2026 Southland Conference Student-Athlete of the Year announced by the league office Wednesday.
Zapletal earns the highest academic honor as the conference released its 2026 All-Academic Team where teammate
Etienne Marty was also recognized. The senior captains are now two-time All-Academic honorees with being named to the 2025 team as well.
Both helped lead the Islanders to a tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, the 11
th in program history. Zapletal was named the SLC Tournament MVP after winning every singles match to help the Islanders win the title and advance to the NCAAs.
"We are so incredibly proud of Josef! He led our team all year, showing up to fight hard every point every match! He led by example in the greatest way, and he lifted our team up every match! Josef also won everyone's respect with his work ethic in the gym and the way he trained his body. He gave himself a fitness advantage with his work ethic discipline and motivation, and it paid off bg in the biggest moments! Everyone on our team knew the court with Josef and Coach Olga would bring a point very match! We will always remember Josef's heart, motivation and character! He has the brightest future in the world," said head coach
Steve Moore.
Zapletal additionally was an All-Conference First-Team selection at No. 3 doubles, going undefeated from the line in league play at 5-0. He was 3-1 in singles play during conference but 16-3 overall on the year. He hoists a 3.6 cumulative GPA in his business degree.
Marty went 14-2 on the year in singles including a 3-1 mark in SLC play, paired with a 4-1 conference doubles record. He earned a spot on the All-Academic team with a 3.32 cumulative GPA in his sports management program.
"Etienne has been a leader ever since he came to Corpus Christi! He has the best heart, and he truly cares about this team and every person with Islanders Tennis! He was a great captain this year, and he rose up in the biggest way in the biggest moments! Etienne has such good heart and character. We asked him to stay and coach for the next two years because he brings that type of leadership and character!" said Moore.
Click here to view the full Southland Conference All-Academic Team.
A&M-Corpus Christi Tennis
- 18 NCAA Tournaments
- 38 SLC Championships
- 4 Top-40 National Rankings
- 3.0 GPA 43 Straight Semesters
- Islanders have received a No. 3 seed at the NCAA Tournament three times
- Women's tennis has cracked the ITA top-75 national rankings three times
- Men's tennis has cracked the ITA national rankings 10 consecutive years
- Ranked nationally in NCAA DI as high as No. 35 for the men and No. 60 for the women
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