Men's Tennis MEAC Media Relations

MEAC 2007 TENNIS ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced the 2007 men’s and women’s All-MEAC tennis teams during a banquet Thursday night in the Wakefield Ballroom of the Holiday Inn Crabtree in Raleigh, N.C.

South Carolina State juniors Ionut Hurduc and Mirian Cruz were named the 2007 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Players of the Year, as voted by the leagues head tennis coaches and sports information directors.

Hurduc recorded an 8-0 mark in conference play and was 11-5 at the number one singles position. At one point in the season, Hurduc recorded 10 wins during an 11-match streak.

Cruz, who earned the honor for the second straight year, recorded a 9-1 conference mark and a 17-6 record overall at the number one singles position. Cruz was fourth in the league with a 20-2 doubles mark, helping the defending champs to a 10-0 MEAC record for the third straight year.

South Carolina State’s Hardeep Judge earned Men’s Coach of the Year accolades for the second time in three years. Under his guidance, the Bulldogs posted a perfect 10-0 mark in MEAC play and 14-7 record overall. Judge, who is in his sixth year, earned Coach of the Year accolades for his women’s team in 2005 and 2006. He was also named the 2005 MEAC Men’s Coach of the Year.

Second year head coach, Rochelle Goldthreate garnered Coach of the Year honors on the women’s side. Goldthreate directed her team to a 7-3 MEAC record, 8-9 overall. A former Florida A&M tennis student-athlete, Goldthreate’s Lady Rattlers topped last season’s 3-7 conference regular season finish and will enter the tournament three positions higher than last year’s seventh seed finish.

Radek Pivonka, of South Carolina State was named Rookie of the Year for the men while Iveta Blodneice of South Carolina State earned the honor for the women. Pivonka recorded a 7-0 mark in conference play and was 14-1 overall. Blodneice tallied a 16-5 overall record and 9-0 posting in MEAC play.

Joining Hurduc on the 2007 Men’s All-MEAC Tennis first-team is teammate Dragan Bisercic and Hampton’s Seo-Jae Chang, who earned the honor for the third consecutive year. Florida A&M’s Clifford Malivert and Artiom Podgainii and Bethune-Cookman’s Thabani Sithole completed the first-team selections.

Along with Cruz, teammate Marcela Rodezno joined the 2007 Women’s All-MEAC Tennis first-team for the third straight year. Last year’s Rookie of the Year, Kiara Powell of Bethune-Cookman along with teammates Lucia Polakova and Monika Musilova and Coppin State’s Andreea Apostu also earned first-team accolades.

The MEAC Tennis Championship tournament begins Friday, April 20 at 8:30 a.m. No. 1 seed South Carolina State will face No. 8 seed Delaware State and No. 2 Hampton will face No. 7 Morgan State. On the women’s side, top seeded South Carolina State will face No. 8 Morgan State and No. 2 Bethune-Cookman will match up against No. 7 Coppin State.