It’s been five years, but on Tuesday, senior Ryan Preston finally broke the drought of Vanderbilt men’s tennis players being named SEC player of the week.

“I am very proud of Ryan,” said coach Ian Duvenhage. “He missed two days of practice last week due to illness, and he didn't feel good during the match. He nevertheless brought his usual ‘never say die’ attitude to the match and found a way to win. I honestly feel that we would have lost if he didn't win his match.”

Preston was instrumental in helping the No. 29 Commodores defeat No. 28 Wisconsin 5-2 on Sunday to raise their record to 6-1 and drop the Badgers to 4-5.

Showcasing his versatility, Preston played two matches against the Badgers. In the first match, the Northbrook, Illinois native and teammate Vijay Paul defeated Jeremy Sonkin and Luke Rassow-Kantor in the first doubles match.

He then proved his incredible endurance playing in the first singles spot in an upset of Moritz Baumann, who is ranked 39th in the country.

Preston is now 8-7 on the season as the Commodores set their sights on their next matchup, an intrastate tilt at 11 a.m. on Sunday against Middle Tennessee State at Currey Tennis Center.