Horizon League Announces 2019 #HLTennis Awards
INDIANAPOLIS – The Horizon League announced its 2019 men’s and women’s #HLTennis awards on Thursday with Cleveland State’s Nico Mostardi and Oakland’s Ava Thielman earning Player of the Year honors. In addition, Alex Jochim of IUPUI and Mayya Perova of Milwaukee were named Freshman of the Year, as voted on by the League’s head coaches.
Detroit Mercy’s Chelsea Apawti, Northern Kentucky’s Blaine Carr, and IUPUI’s Ethan Mardanus-Budiono were selected as this year’s Herb Foster Sportsmanship Award recipients. The award is given in honor of former Wright State men’s and women’s tennis coach Herb Foster who passed away in 2004.
Mostardi claims his second-straight Player of the Year honor, becoming the sixth men’s tennis player in Horizon League history to earn the honor multiple times. The Cleveland, Ohio native went 15-6 overall this season at No. 1 singles and was the only player at the top of the lineup to finish 6-0 during Horizon League play. Mostardi led the Vikings to a perfect 6-0 League record and the regular-season title.
Thielman becomes the first player in Oakland history to be named Horizon League Player of the Year. The sophomore from Shelby Township, Mich. finished the HL season with eight wins at the No. 1 singles position, the most in the League and had an overall singles record of 16-5. Thielman helped the Golden Grizzlies to their highest-ever finish in the HL with a 7-2 record and the No. 3 seed at the Championship.
Jochim is IUPUI’s first Freshman of the Year honoree after joining the Horizon League in 2017-18. While playing at No. 1 singles for the Jaguars, Jochim finished with an 8-12 record, including 3-3 during HL play. Perova is the first Milwaukee athlete since 2011 to claim Freshman of the Year as she finished a combined 6-3 during Horizon League play at both the No. 2 and No. 3 lines, while going 13-8 overall this season.
For the third year in a row and a record 11th-time overall, UIC’s Shannon Tully was named the Women’s Coach of the Year after leading the Flames to the No. 1 seed at the Horizon League Championship and a share of the regular-season title with a League record of 8-1. On the men’s side, Cleveland State’s Brian Etzkin takes home his fourth Men’s Coach of the Year honor, his first since 2010, as the Vikings were perfect during HL play at 6-0 and claimed their first regular season crown since 2011.
Joining Mostardi on the men’s All-Horizon League first team are James Ling of Green Bay, IUPUI’s Alex Jochim, Northern Kentucky’s Nathan Schwartz, Johan Hedstrom of UIC and Danylo Veremeichuk of Youngstown State. Represented on the All-League second team are Luke Phillips and Matthew Terry of Cleveland State, IUPUI’s Sean Bailey, UIC’s Kasper Parlklo and Niko Wasilewicz and Youngstown State’s Vasilis Vardakis.
On the women’s All-Horizon League first team with Thielman are Isabella Spindler of Cleveland State Jasmine Apawti of Detroit Mercy, Milwaukee’s Alexandra Belle, Northern Kentucky’s Margita Sunjic and Lejla Colic of UIC. The All-League second team is comprised of Klara Mrcela of Cleveland State, Maria Koo of Northern Kentucky, Oakland’s Darya Maltseva, UIC’s Lucie Prochazkova and Karyna Bihel and Youngstown State’s Imaan Hassim.
The Horizon League Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships will take place at the Schwartz Tennis Center in West Lafayette, Ind. beginning on Friday, April 26 with quarterfinal matches and will conclude on Sunday, April 28.
Every match of the 2019 Horizon League Tennis Championship will be streamed live on ESPN+ and fans can also follow all the action on social media by following @HorizonLeague.
For complete championship information, go to the #HLTennis Championship Central page, here.
2019 Horizon League Men’s Tennis Award Winners
Player of the Year: Nico Mostardi, Cleveland State
Freshman of the Year: Alex Jochim, IUPUI
Herb Foster Sportsmanship Award: Blaine Carr, Northern Kentucky and Ethan Mardanus-Budiono, IUPUI
Coach of the Year: Brian Etzkin, Cleveland State
All-Horizon League First Team (alphabetical by school)
Nico Mostardi, Cleveland State
James Ling, Green Bay
Alex Jochim, IUPUI
Nathan Schwartz, Northern Kentucky
Johan Hedstrom, UIC
Danylo Veremeichuk, Youngstown State
All-Horizon League Second Team (alphabetical by school)
Luke Phillips, Cleveland State
Matthew Terry, Cleveland State
Sean Bailey, IUPUI
Kasper Parlko, UIC
Niko Wasilewicz, UIC
Vasilis Vardakis, Youngstown State
2019 Horizon League Women’s Tennis Award Winners
Player of the Year: Ava Thielman, Oakland
Freshman of the Year: Mayya Perova, Milwaukee
Herb Foster Sportsmanship Award: Chelsea Apawti, Detroit Mercy
Coach of the Year: Shannon Tully, UIC
All-Horizon League First Team (alphabetical by school)
Isabella Spindler, Cleveland State
Jasmine Apawti, Detroit Mercy
Alexandra Belle, Milwaukee
Margita Sunjic, Northern Kentucky
Ava Thielman, Oakland
Lejla Colic, UIC
All-Horizon League Second Team (alphabetical by school)
Klara Mrcela, Cleveland State
Maria Koo, Northern Kentucky
Darya Maltseva, Oakland
Lucie Prochazkova, UIC
Karyna Bihel, UIC
Imaan Hassim, Youngstown State