John-Patrick Smith was honored as 2011 SEC Athlete of the Year during the first quarter Vols' 24-0 victory over MTSU at Neyland Stadium on Saturday night.
Smith finished his time at Tennessee as one of the most successful players to ever step onto the college tennis courts. He became just the second player in the history of the sport to earn All-America honors in singles and doubles all four years of his career. He was also named SEC Player of the Year as a junior and senior, helping lead the Vols to back-to-back conference titles for the first time.
Smith is just the fourth Vol to be selected SEC Male Athlete of the Year and the first since quarterback Peyton Manning in 1998. Baseball star Todd Helton won the award in 1995, and wide receiver Larry Seivers took the honor in 1977.
