NORFOLK, Va., April 24, 2018—
North Carolina Central sophomore Theofanis Kontopoulos and
Morgan State senior Danielle Thompson were named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s (MEAC) 2018 Men’s and Women’s Tennis Players of the Year, as voted on by the conference’s head coaches and sports information directors.
South Carolina State’s Aleksa Daskolovic named the men’s Rookie of the Year, while
Matthew Townes of Morgan State was selected as the men’s Coach of the Year.
Bethune-Cookman’s Rehaana Butt was chosen as the women’s Rookie of the Year, while
Lady Pirates head coach Clayton Hamilton was named the Coach of the Year.
Kontopoulos was 9-6 in singles play this season – including a 9-3 mark in the No. 1 position, while also going 3-1 in singles play against MEAC Southern Division competitors. He was also 3-1 in MEAC doubles play, teaming with Maksym Konovalov. The two-time MEAC Player of the Week finished the regular season winning eight of his last 10 singles matches, key in helping the Eagles earn a berth to the MEAC Championships.
Daskolovic went 3-1 in singles play against Southern Division opponents in his first collegiate season, helping the Bulldogs go undefeated in conference play and secure yet another Southern Division regular-season title. All four of Daskolovic’s singles wins this season came in the No. 1 position, and he picked up seven doubles wins in the No. 2 spot on the year.
Townes led the Bears to a perfect 4-0 mark in MEAC Northern Division play, claiming the division’s regular-season title and the top seed in the upcoming MEAC Tennis Championship. Morgan State went 12-4 overall this season, notching non-conference wins over such foes as La Salle, Loyola (Md.), Saint Joseph’s and Hofstra. In addition, Townes’ men’s players combined to win 11 MEAC weekly honors this season.
Joining Kontopoulos and Daskolovic on the Men’s All-MEAC First Team are Noureldin Adam of Florida A&M, Hampton’s Matthew Foster-Estwick, Andres Alcaraz of Norfolk State and South Carolina State’s Jakub Vitek.
Thompson racked up a singles record of 14-7 this season, including a perfect 6-0 mark in MEAC play – all of which came in the No. 1 position. Having ended the regular season on a seven-match winning streak – and having gone 9-1 in her last 10 singles matches – Thompson helped the Lady Bears finish second in the Northern Division standings. Thompson also won a combined 10 doubles matches this season, including a 9-4 mark with partner Peggy Rooke and a 4-0 record in conference play.
Butt, a six-time MEAC Rookie of the Week this season, led Bethune-Cookman with a 10-4 mark in singles play – all from the No. 2 position – and she went 4-1 in MEAC play. She concluded the regular season winning eight of her last 10 singles matches. In addition, Butt went 11-4 in doubles play in her first collegiate campaign, including an 11-3 mark with partner Matea Roki in the No. 1 doubles position (a perfect 5-0 in MEAC play).
Hamilton hit the ground running in his first season with the Lady Pirates, guiding them to a perfect 6-0 mark in conference play and the team’s second straight Northern Division regular-season title. Hampton went 9-7 overall in the regular season, notching non-conference wins over George Mason and Mount St. Mary’s.
Thompson and Butt are joined on the Women’s All-MEAC First Team by Bethune-Cookman teammates Matea Roki and Alejandra Vidal, Hampton’s Yulia Kapitanova and Norfolk State’s Dajana Cvjetkovic.
The 2018 MEAC Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships begin with women’s play on Thursday, April 26 at 8:30 a.m., with the men starting at 1:30 p.m. The championship concludes on Saturday with the women’s final beginning at 9 a.m., followed by the men’s title match at 12 p.m.
All matches will be held at the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.
2017-18 Men’s and Women’s Tennis All-MEAC Teams
As voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors
MEN
Player of the Year: Theofanis Kontopoulos, North Carolina Central
Rookie of the Year: Aleksa Daskolovic, South Carolina State
Coach of the Year: Matthew Townes, Morgan State
FIRST TEAM
| Name |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| Noureldin Adam |
Jr. |
Florida A&M |
Khartoum, Sudan |
| Theofanis Kontopoulos |
So. |
North Carolina Central |
Corinthos, Greece |
| Matthew Foster-Estwick |
Jr. |
Hampton |
Barbados |
| Andres Alcaraz |
So. |
Norfolk State |
Pachuca, Mexico |
| Aleksa Daskolovic |
Fr. |
South Carolina State |
Serbia |
| Jakub Vitek |
Sr. |
South Carolina State |
Czech Republic |
SECOND TEAM
| Name |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| Jose Plazas |
Jr. |
Bethune-Cookman |
Bogota, Colombia |
| Jorge Rodriguez Rey |
Jr. |
Coppin State |
Bogota, Colombia |
| Frederico Nani |
Jr. |
Florida A&M |
Cordoba, Argentina |
| Arjun Ramakrishnan |
Jr. |
Morgan State |
Chennai, India |
| Gabriel Cucalon |
Jr. |
North Carolina Central |
Guayaquil, Ecuador |
| Juan Ramirez |
Fr. |
South Carolina State |
Panama |
WOMEN
Player of the Year: Danielle Thompson, Morgan State
Rookie of the Year: Rehaana Butt, Bethune-Cookman
Coach of the Year: Clayton Hamilton, Hampton
FIRST TEAM
| Name |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| Rehaana Butt |
Fr. |
Bethune-Cookman |
Palm Harbor, Fla. |
| Matea Roki |
Sr. |
Bethune-Cookman |
Toronto, Canada |
| Alejandra Vidal |
Sr. |
Bethune-Cookman |
Maracaibo, Venezuela |
| Yulia Kapitanova |
Fr. |
Hampton |
Moscow, Russia |
| Danielle Thompson |
Sr. |
Morgan State |
Nassau, Bahamas |
| Dajana Cvjetkovic |
Sr. |
Norfolk State |
Bijeljina, Bosnia & Herzegovina |
SECOND TEAM
| Name |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| Mialiniaina Rakotondrazafy |
Jr. |
Florida A&M |
Paris, France |
| Mariam Mitaishvili |
Sr. |
Hampton |
Tbilisi, Georgia |
| Nathalie Finch |
Fr. |
Howard |
Del Ray Beach, Fla. |
| Nicole Hutchison |
Jr. |
Howard |
Houston, Texas |
| Yassmine Khiri |
Fr. |
Howard |
Marrakesh, Morocco |
| Zainab Bendahhou |
Fr. |
South Carolina State |
Casablanca, Morocco |