WALTHAM, Mass. – Brandeis University men's tennis graduate student Dylan Walters of Baltimore, Maryland, has been named the 2025 University Athletic Association Player of the Year in a vote by the league's coaches. Walters was also a first-team All-UAA selection at #1 singles, while first-year Daniel Shemesh of Modiin, Israel, was a second-team All-Association choice at #2 singles. The pair were named second-team All-UAA at #1 doubles as well.
 
Walters is the second Judge to earn UAA Player of the Year, and the first in two decades, joining Sam Jonas '05, who earned the honor in 2005. Walters led the Judges with a 13-2 record at #1 singles this season, including a 6-4, 6-4, win over his opponent from #6 Case Western Reserve in the quarterfinals of the UAA tournament. He also held leads over foes from #32 Washington U. and the University of Rochester when the Judges' matches ended. Walters also earned wins against foes from #2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, #3 Tufts, #11 Babson, and #14 Gustavus Adolphus.
 
"Dylan is quite deserving of this honor," said third-year head coach Christo Schultz. "He exhibits such commitment to the process and passion for competing. Every teammate who has stepped onto a court with Dylan has walked away a better player."
 
Walters, who was ranked #8 in the most recent NCAA Northeast Region rankings, is hoping for a second-straight berth in the NCAA Division III Singles Championships. He won his first-round match to earn All-America honors in 2024. These are Walters' fourth and fifth All-UAA selections, having earned second-team honors in singles as a sophomore, second-team doubles as a junior, and first-team singles as a senior. Although none of his UAA matches were completed, he led CWRU, 6-3, 5-4; was tied with WashU, 2-6, 6-4; and led Rochester, 6-2, 2-3.
 
Shemesh posted an 8-5 record in dual matches this year, including a 7-3 mark at #2. During the season, he had wins over #3 Tufts, #11 Babson (at #3), and  #19 Redlands.
 
As a doubles team, Walters and Shemesh posted a 10-6 record at #1 doubles, plus a 5-2 mark during tournaments to finish with a 15-8 record. They reached the finals of the Middlebury Invitational A Flight in the fall. At UAAs, they dropped a match to Case Western Reserve, were tied with WashU and defeated Rochester in a tiebreaker. They earned wins during the regular season over #19 Redlands, #30 Southwestern and #41 MIT.  
 
In head coach Christo Schultz's 3^rd season with the Judges, Brandeis finished the 2024-25 campaign with a 9-8 record. They finished seventh in the UAA, defeating Rochester, 4-0, in the seventh-place match. They earned wins during the season over #30 Southwestern and #14 Gustavus Adolphus. The Judges were ranked as high as #30 in Division III this season and ended the campaign at #34.  
 
Walters is a 2020 graduate of The Gilman School.
 
Shemesh is a 2024 graduate of Ironi Hey School Modiin.
 
For more information on Brandeis men's tennis, visit their web page at https://brandeisjudges.com/sports/mten.