NORFOLK, Va. - The South Carolina State's men's and women's tennis teams swept top honors as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced the 2011 All-MEAC First and Second teams on Thursday. All awards were voted on by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors.
South Carolina State senior
Daria Sekerina was named the women's 2011 MEAC Player of the Year while teammate
Akilah James earned Rookie of the Year honors.
Daria Sekerina was named to her third all-conference first team after finishing undefeated in conference play this season boasting a 4-0 mark in singles and double play. She tallied a 14-3 overall record at the number one singe's position and 13-2 in doubles action. Sekerina is currently ranked 93rd in singles in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national rankings.
Akilah James also finished perfect in conference play in singles matches this season. James posted a 15-2 overall record at the number three single's position. She also won 15 straight double matches this season. In addition to earning the Rookie of the Year honor, James was also named to the All-MEAC second team.
Joining Sekerina and James on the women's All-MEAC First-Team are teammates
Maria Craciun and
Sabrina Mendez. Florida A&M's Alexis Brown and Howard's Katelyn Stokes also earned first team honors.
On the men's side, South Carolina State junior Dmytro Kovalevych was named the Player of the Year. Fellow Bulldog teammate Artemiy Nikitin received the Rookie of the Year.
Kovalevych collected 11 wins and just two losses at the number two singles position this season. He finished 3-0 in conference play in both singles and double play and rolled to a 9-1 record in his last ten matches of the regular season.
Nikitin posted a 13-2 overall mark and 3-0 record in southern divisional matches. He finished the regular season with a 10-2 mark at the number three doubles position to earn the Rookie of the Year honor. Along with his women's counterpart, Nikitin was named to the All-MEAC second team.
Along with Kovalecych, SCSU's Aton Prostenko and Peteris Vinogradous earned First-Team honors. Florida A&M's Gabriel Chidi, Levan Clark and Tekura Happy joined Norfolk State's Arsenio Culver on the men's first- team.
The 2011 MEAC Men's and Women's Tennis Championship begins with women's play on Friday, April 15 at 8:30 a.m. The women's semi-final rounds start on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. followed by the men at Noon. The Championship concludes on Sunday with the women's final beginning at 9 a.m. followed by the men's title match at Noon. A complete schedule of events is available on www.MEACsports.com.
The Championship is free and open to the public.
2011 MEAC Tennis All-Conference Team
Women
Rookie of the Year: AKilah James, South Carolina State
Coach of the Year: Larry Strickland, Howard
First Team
Name School Class Hometown
Alexis Brown Florida A&M Junior Eagan, Minn.
Katelyn Stokes Howard Freshman Landham, Md.
Second Team
Name School Class Hometown
Katarina Szabova Bethune-Cookman Junior Komarno, Slovakia
Marina Sicic Delaware State Sophomore Belgrade, Serbia
Kathline Durden Florida A&M Junior Antioch, Tenn.
Brooke Hawthorne Howard Freshman Atlanta, Ga.
Brittney Morgan Howard Sophomore Beverly Hills, Calif.
Men
Player of the Year: Dymtro Kovalevych, South Carolina State
Rookie of the Year: Artemiy Nikitin, South Carolina State
Coach of the Year: Larry Strickland, Howard
First Team
Name School Class Hometown
Gabriel Chidi Florida A&M Sophomore Piscataway, N.J.
Levan Clark Florida A&M Junior Orlando, Fla.
Takura Happy* Florida A&M Sophomore Mutare, Zimbabwe
Arsenio Culver Norfolk State Junior Philadelphia, Pa.
Dmytro Kovalevych South Carolina State Junior Ukraine
Anton Protsenko South Carolina State Sophomore Ukraine
Peteris Vinogradous* South Carolina State Sophomore Latvia
Second Team
Name School Class Hometown
Marc Misanovic Bethune-Cookman Junior Ljubljana, Slovenia
Maurice Wamukowa Florida A&M Senior Nairobi, Kenya
Christopher Brown Howard Senior Los Angeles, Calilf.
Ben Marks Norfolk State Junior Worcestershire, England
Artemiy Nikitin South Carolina State Freshman Russia
[*] Indicates tie
-www.MEACsports.com-
