By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Will Horton (Lakeville, Mass.) did a lot of winning during his tennis career at Apponequet Regional High School.

He put together a 72-3 record in singles play and was selected the Most Valuable Player of the South Coast Conference three consecutive years.

That winning has carried over into Horton's collegiate career as he is having a sensational freshman season for the Bridgewater State University men's team.

Playing No. 1 singles in his debut season, Horton was selected the Little East Conference Singles Player of the Year and the Rookie of the Year in addition to earning spots on the all-conference first team in both singles and doubles with senior captain Ryan Hebert (Taunton, Mass.).

Horton keeps on winning, and he has helped the Bears (12-4) win the Little East regular-season and tournament championships. He was selected the Most Outstanding Player of the conference tournament following a 4-3 win over Rhode Island College.

BSU, on a 10-match winning streak, will play in its second NCAA Division III tournament on Friday in Brunswick, Maine, facing No. 24 Skidmore College at 3 p.m.

"I'm happy the way it's gone and what we've done as a team," said Horton, "and I hope to keep doing that the next few years. I wanted to win as much as possible here."

Horton joined the tennis program last fall when the Bears played one match, a loss to Emerson College on Oct. 7.

He began the spring season as BSU's No. 1 singles player and never left, compiling a 10-4 record, including 5-1 during the Little East regular season.

In Horton's five conference victories, he won all 10 sets.

Pairing with Hebert at No. 2 doubles, Horton was part of a duo that is 10-3 overall and finished 6-0 in the conference.

There are a lot of accomplishments already piling up for the first-year player.

Horton chose BSU in order to major in cybersecurity, and Bears coach David Purpura recruited him to join the tennis team.

"When I started making the rounds, the early word was he that wasn't interested in college tennis," said Purpura. "He was a basketball player. I introduced myself. We didn't develop a strong rapport until I found out his senior year he was interested in potentially attending BSU for cybersecurity. That's when I started making a push.

"Once we started having those conversations and I gave him an outline of what I thought his freshman year would look like, it became a lot more exciting to him.

"It was really nice after he received the Most Valuable Player award for the conference tournament to be able to have a conversation and say, 'Hey, what did we tell you? This is where we thought you might be coming in here and so far you've checked off every box we thought you might check. Now we've just got to keep it going.'"

Horton said he began playing tennis as a youngster and became competitive when he reached high school.

Apponequet made it as far as the quarterfinal round of the state Division III tourney during Horton's career, and he was front and center for the Lakers.

He arrived at BSU and earned the No. 1 singles slot and has been facing top players throughout the rookie year.

"It's definitely different," said Horton of going from high school to college. "Pretty much every team you play is going to be competitive. You get some of the best players in the country one day and then someone who is closer to you the next. It's different, but I like it."

While learning about college tennis on the fly, Horton has established himself as a top-notch player in the Little East right away.

The all-around game of Horton continues to grow and the best figures to be yet to come with three seasons remaining.

"He's smart. He's very athletic," said Purpura. "He's willing to go the full distance with any opponent. He's a really patient player.

"He takes pride in not giving away easy points. He makes you earn every single point and that can be demoralizing for kids that hit at a really high level but are unable to maintain that for two or three hours. He really grinds opponents.

"He's always got another level he can go to. His tennis identity has been built around being a really strong defensive player. He really has done a great job of building a game around no visible weaknesses for opponents to attack. His weapons are going to continue to grow. He's still learning to be a college tennis player."

Horton and the Bears leave for Maine on Thursday and will face the No. 24 team in the nation in Skidmore.

It will be another step for Horton to take in what has been a fantastic rookie season.

"I definitely think I can get better," said Horton. "I'm playing against very good players, having competitive matches every week. It's a lot easier to improve that way."