Freedom High School senior and number one singles tennis player Andrew Sinai was named the 2014-2015 District XI Boys' Tennis Scholar-Athlete winner on May 27 at the 16th annual District XI Tennis Scholar-Athlete Banquet held at the Best Western in Bethlehem.

"It's really, really cool to receive this honor. I know a lot of people on the committee, and to recognize me like that in a group of people like this, I was just really surprised," Sinai said.

Sinai was the Patriots' number one singles player for four years, compiling a record of 51-2 in dual meets. He won the district title his sophomore and junior years, but had to withdraw from this year's district singles tournament because of a concussion he suffered the week prior.

"That was a big disappointment for him," said Freedom tennis coach Jeff Young, "so these accolades are great. I have never seen anybody play tennis the way he does. To say the least, he is a great tennis player and a great kid."

Sinai is ranked 46 out of 423 Freedom High School seniors with a GPA of 4.34, and he will attend Drexel University to major in computer science.

"Tennis is a creative outlet for me. It allows me to show my personality," Sinai said.

Sinai recalled the first match of his high school career, which was against three-time district champion Eric Perez of Southern Lehigh.

"I lost 7-5, 6-0, but it was a lesson for me," he said. "I learned a lot from the seniors then, and now I'm passing things on to Ross [Sonnenblick] and Aidan [Bodeo-Lomicky]. I realized that tennis is a team effort more than just me. That's what I love about tennis."

Sinai holds all of his Patriot teammates and his coach in high regard.

"They are the greatest group of guys in the district. Everyone wanted to get better, and they were pushing themselves to get better. They pushed me a lot. We're all really close," Sinai said. "My coach helped me mature as a person and a player. He knows what's up."

Sinai received a plaque and a monetary award for his accomplishments.

District XI nominees for the 2014-2015 Boys' Tennis Scholar-Athlete were: Aaron King of Salisbury, Ken Grenestedt of Saucon Valley, Sinai of Freedom, Ryan Betts of Easton, Brian Kuntz of Wilson, Julian Mark of Liberty, Peter Harrison of Parkland,

Sahil Arora of Nazareth, Pierce Blasi of Pen Argyl, Austin Grace of Allentown Central Catholic, Akinokl Mollenthiel of East Stroudsburg South, Ian Milles of William Allen, Luke Mesko of Bethlehem Catholic, Will Kyaw of East Stroudsburg North, and Adam Kramer of Moravian Academy.

Plaques were presented to all of the nominees by District XI Tennis Scholar-Athlete Committee member, Jeff Biro. Walt Cole, Neil Curtis, Glenn Rossetti, Heather Piperato, Andraea Drabenstott, Meredith Kester, George Harmanos, and Dawn Ketterman Benner are also committee members. Curtis, the District Tournament Chairman, was the master of ceremonies for the banquet, which was also attended by the scholar athletes' parents and coaches.