Western Wayne Today

Senior Daniel Grey and junior Cedric Drenth of the Wayne State University men's tennis team, along with redshirt-senior pitcher Karter Fitzpatrick, have been honored with GLIAC Commissioner's Awards for the 2023-24 season. Fitzpatrick has now received this accolade three times, while Grey was recognized for the second time and Drenth for the first.

Grey, a four-time All-GLIAC performer and three-time First Team recipient, achieved a final ITA singles ranking of No. 3 in the Midwest Region and No. 4 nationally. In his final season as a Warrior, Grey was named the 2024 GLIAC Player of the Year after posting a 22-8 singles record, moving to second on Wayne State's career wins chart at 86-29 (.748 winning percentage). In doubles play, he and Drenth were ranked No. 1 nationally, compiling a 33-10 record this season. Grey is also Wayne State's all-time leader in doubles victories with Drenth close behind in second place. Academically, Grey is a three-time ITA All-Academic Scholar-Athlete and a two-time D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award recipient.

Drenth has been named All-GLIAC in each of his three seasons with two First Team distinctions. He was ranked sixth regionally and 15th nationally by the ITA in singles play. The 2023 GLIAC Player of the Year posted an impressive singles record of 27-4 for the season and ranks third in WSU history with an overall record of 82-25 (.766). Academically, Drenth is also an ITA All-Academic Scholar-Athlete and was named WSU Male Student-Athlete of the Year for 2022-23.

Both Grey and Drenth were recently named CSC First Team Academic All-Americans, marking their second consecutive year receiving CSC Academic All-American honors.

Fitzpatrick holds Wayne State's baseball program records for wins (31-9 career record) and starts (46). He has earned postseason All-Region distinction three times consecutively from NCBWA, D2CCA, and ABCA organizations. Fitzpatrick ranks second in innings pitched (293), third in strikeouts (270), and fifth in winning percentage (.775) at Wayne State. This spring alone he struck out 102 batters over 13 appearances with an ERA of 3.90 and held opponents to a .221 batting average. Notably, Fitzpatrick pitched a seven-inning perfect game against Purdue Northwest on May 4.