Men's Tennis | 4/22/2026 7:11:38 PM

NORFOLK, Va., April 22, 2026 —South Carolina State senior Mikalai Bankou and North Carolina Central senior Alejandra Hidalgo Vega were named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's (MEAC) 2026 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 Andrii Borodatiuk was named the Men's Rookie of the Year, while Norfolk State's Yana Klimchuk was selected as the Women's Rookie of the Year.
 
South Carolina State's head coach Hardeep Judge was named the Men's Coach of the Year, while Howard's Nicholas Askew was voted Women's Coach of the Year. 

Bankou earned MEAC Men's Player of the Year honors after a dominant 2025–26 campaign, posting a 12-4 overall singles record while going a perfect 5-0 in conference play at the No. 1 position. Bankou anchored the Bulldogs throughout the season, leading the team to a 11-7 overall record and an undefeated 5-0 mark in MEAC competition. Bankou elevated his play down the stretch, winning eight of his final nine matches while also excelling in doubles, posting a 10-4 overall record, including a perfect 5-0 MEAC mark and a 10-2 record alongside Novak Novakovic.

Hidalgo Vega delivered a standout 2025–26 season, earning MEAC Player of the Year honors after anchoring the Eagles lineup at No. 1 singles and finishing with a dominant 6-0 conference record in MEAC play. She closed the regular season on a seven-match singles winning streak while being recognized three times this season as MEAC Player of the week.

Borodatiuk  made an immediate impact in his freshman season for South Carolina State, finishing the 2025–26 campaign with a 7-2 overall singles record and a perfect 5-0 mark in MEAC play. In doubles, he posted an 11-1 overall record, including an undefeated 5-0 conference mark alongside Iliyas Muratuly, forming one of the conference's most productive pairings and helping the Bulldogs complete an undefeated MEAC season and secure the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
 
Klimchuk completed an impressive freshman campaign for Norfolk State, finishing the 2025–26 season with a 13-1 singles record and a perfect 5-0 mark in MEAC play, primarily competing at the No. 2–4 positions. In doubles, she posted an 11-6 record, recording key victories over programs including George Washington, Shaw, N.C. A&T, Wagner, and Rider. Her production in both singles and doubles, highlighted by three MEAC Rookie of the Week honors, established her as one of the league's top first-year performers and earned her MEAC Women's Rookie of the Year honors.

Judge finished a dominant 2025–26 season by earning MEAC Men's Coach of the Year honors. Under his leadership, South Carolina State posted an 11-7 overall record with an undefeated 5-0 mark in MEAC play. The Bulldogs found their stride in March, finishing the month 7-1 heading into the final stretch of the season. They will enter the MEAC Tournament as the No. 1 seed. Now in his 24th season at the helm, Coach Judge's Bulldogs set their sights on a sixth consecutive Men's Tennis championship.
 
Askew earned MEAC Women's Coach of the Year honors after leading Howard to a No. 3 seed in the MEAC Tennis Championship behind a 4-2 conference record. The Bison closed the regular season, winning three of their final six matches. Howard's season was highlighted by a nonconference victory over George Mason (4-2). In MEAC play, the Bison finished 3-1 in their final four conference matches with wins over South Carolina State, Delaware State, and Coppin State.
 
Championship action begins Thursday, April 23, at 8 a.m. with the women's quarterfinal matches, followed by the men's quarterfinals at 2 p.m.

Semifinal play begins Friday, April 24, with the women at 9 a.m. and the men at 12 p.m. The tournament concludes Saturday, April 25, with the women's final at 9 a.m., followed by the men's championship match at 12 p.m.

All matches will be played at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, North Carolina.

The men's and women's championship matches will be streamed live on ESPN+.

2026 Women's Tennis All-MEAC Teams 
As voted on by the conference's head tennis coaches and sports information directors.  
Player of the Year: Alejandra Hidalgo Vega, North Carolina Central
Rookie of the Year: Yana Klimchuk, Norfolk State
Coach of the Year: Nicholas Askew, Howard

1st Team  
Franchesca Brown, Howard
Amira Bargaoui, Morgan State
Michaela Stephens, Morgan State
Regina Urbiola, Norfolk State
Yuliya Yorkova, Norfolk State
Alejandra Hidalgo Vega, North Carolina Central

2nd Team   
Brandy Alexis Babcock-Hannah, Coppin State
Imani Jean, Howard
Tyler Williams, Morgan State
Yana Klimchuk, Norfolk State
Sara Barbaric, North Carolina Central
Mariana Zottoli, North Carolina Central

2026 Men's Tennis All-MEAC Teams 
As voted on by the conference's head tennis coaches and sports information directors. 
 
Player of the Year: Mikalai Bankou, South Carolina State
Rookie of the Year: Andrii Borodatiuk, South Carolina State
Coach of the Year: Hardeep Judge, South Carolina State

1st Team  
Szymon Malecki, Norfolk State
Rodrigo Alves, North Carolina Central
Mikalai Bankou, South Carolina State
Andrii Borodatiuk, South Carolina State
Iliyas Muratuly , South Carolina State
Novak Novakovic, South Carolina State

2nd Team
Michael Major Jr, Howard
Ilya Maltsev, Morgan State
Marcin Andrzejczak, Norfolk State
Dominik Simunovic, Norfolk State
Naresh Bharathy, North Carolina Central
Santiago Pinna, North Carolina Central