Horizon League Announces #HLTennis All-League Teams and Award Winners
Lance Rinker
INDIANAPOLIS — The Horizon League announced its annual men’s and women’s tennis All-League honors, as decided by votes from the league’s head coaches, with Cleveland State’s Nico Mostardi and Northern Kentucky’s Margita Sunjic being recognized as the Players of the Years.
Mostardi and Sunjic — both sophomores — were each named Freshman of the Year last season, with Sunjic also earning the distinction of Player of the Year in her rookie campaign.
This year, Mostardi maintained a 14-3 record during the spring, including a league-best 6-1 mark in conference play at the top singles spot, to guide Cleveland State to a share of the regular-season title alongside Detroit Mercy. Overall during the 2017-18 campaign, Mostardi amassed 26 victories while suffering just seven setbacks.
Sunjic, the first back-to-back Player of the Year on the women’s side since UIC’s Mariya Kovaleva (2009-12), posted a 13-3 record this spring, helping the program clinch its first postseason berth since transitioning to Division I competition. Her 8-1 league record at No. 1 singles was the top mark in the Horizon League.
Mostardi’s teammate, Matthew Terry, was named Men’s Freshman of the Year after compiling a 26-11 overall record and 14-8 dual record during the spring. He went 6-1 at No. 2 singles in league play, the top mark in the conference, and also posted a 10-6 dual doubles record while playing alongside Mirko Radosevic, Jack Santilli, and Mostardi.
Oakland’s Darya Maltseva was voted Freshman of the Year on the women’s side following a 13-6 spring split between the top two singles positions. Her 6-1 league record at No. 1 singles was the fourth-best mark in the Horizon League. She also posted a 7-2 doubles record in conference play alongside Alexandra Whall.
Two Northern Kentucky student-athletes earned the Herb Foster Sportsmanship Award, with junior Blaine Carr and freshman Hannah Watton receiving the accolade.
Detroit Mercy head coach Aaron Paajanen, who led the Titans to a share of the program’s first-ever regular-season title, became the first coach in program history to be named Men’s Coach of the Year. The Titans closed the season with four-consecutive victories to earn the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Horizon League Tennis Championships. Detroit Mercy’s 14-9 spring mark set a program single-season record for wins, eclipsing the previous mark of 13 set in 1990.
Meanwhile, UIC’s Shannon
Tully was voted Women’s Coach of the Year for a league-best 10
th time. Tully coached the Flames to a 14-6 record, a No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, and a share of the regular-season title alongside Youngstown State. The Flames closed the regular season with seven-straight wins. This season marked the third-consecutive year in which UIC earned 13 or more victories in spring competition.
The Horizon League Tennis Championships will take place April 27-29 at the Schwartz Tennis Center in West Lafayette, Ind., with all matches being broadcasted
live on ESPN+. For more information, visit the Championship Central by
clicking here.
Men’s Awards
Player of the Year: Nico Mostardi, Cleveland State
Freshman of the Year: Matthew Terry, Cleveland State
Herb Foster Sportsmanship Award: Blaine Carr, Northern Kentucky
Coach of the Year: Aaron Paajanen, Detroit Mercy
Men’s First Team All-League (alphabetical by school)
Nico Mostardi, So., Cleveland State
Artem Vasheshnikov, Jr., Detroit Mercy
Florian Kraenzler, Sr., Green Bay
David Beasley, Sr., IUPUI
Michal Kianicka, Sr., Wright State
Danylo Veremeichuk, Sr., Youngstown State
Men’s Second Team All-League (alphabetical by school)
Luke Phillips, Fr., Cleveland State
Matthew Terry, Fr., Cleveland State
Nathan Ponton, Sr., Detroit Mercy
James Ling, Jr., Green Bay
Param Pun, So., Wright State
Joao Garretto, So., Youngstown State
Women’s Awards
Player of the Year: Margita Sunjic, Northern Kentucky
Freshman of the Year: Darya Maltseva, Oakland
Herb Foster Sportsmanship Award: Hannah Watton, Northern Kentucky
Coach of the Year: Shannon Tully, UIC
Women’s First Team All-League (alphabetical by school)
Isabella Spindler, Jr., Cleveland State
Darya Maltseva, Fr., Oakland
Margita Sunjic, So., Northern Kentucky
Karoline Haller, Sr., Wright State
Sofia Macias, Sr., Youngstown State
Noelly Longi Nsimba, Sr., Youngstown State
Women’s Second Team All-League (alphabetical by school)
Jasmine Apawti, Fr., Detroit Mercy
Maria Koo, Fr., Northern Kentucky
Dasha Artamonova, Jr., Oakland
Lejla Colic, So., UIC
Georgie Sanders, Jr., UIC
Haily Morgan, Jr., Wright State