NORFOLK, Va. (April 24, 2018)-- After leading the Morgan State men's tennis team to both the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference North Division championship, head coach Matthew Townes has been named the 2018 MEAC Coach of the Year.
In addition, Arjun Ramakrishnan is the lone Bear to receive all-league accolades and is one of six players from the eight MEAC schools named to the second team. Both honors were announced on Tuesday by the league office.
North Carolina Central's Theofanis Kontopoulos was named the MEAC's Player of the Year and South Carolina State's Aleksa Daskolovic earned Rookie of the Year honors.
Townes led his team to his fourth MEAC North Division championship and the school's seventh straight since 2012. This marks the first time in Townes' remarkable career that he has won the MEAC Coach of the Year Award. The Bishopville, S.C. native has compiled a 37-39 (.486) record during his head coaching career at Morgan State and has led the Bears to four North Division titles (2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018). This year, he has taken a lineup that features five underclassmen and led them to the squad's fourth straight North Division No. 1 seed since 2015.
"This is truly and honor to receive this recognition," said Townes. "I would like to thank Mr. Ed Scott and Ms. Erlease Wagner for their unrelenting effort, patience and support. None of this would be possible without these amazing young men and women in this program. They bought into our system, and we are all reaping the benefits. We have a team goal that is bigger than any individual award, but this definitely is one for the books!"
"I would like to thank the conference for recognizing my efforts here up North."
Overall, Morgan State finished at 12-4 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.
Part of Townes' success this year has been the play of Arjun Ramakrishnan.
Ramakrishnan, a native of Chennai, India, is one of seven juniors named to either the first or second team.
In singles play, Ramakrishnan finished the season with a 3-5 record, including a 1-0 mark against MEAC opposition.
In doubles play, Ramakrishnan spent a portion of the season with senior teammate Lucas Krusinski. The pair finished the season 3-1 overall and went 1-1 in MEAC play. Ramakrishnan also played matches alongside sophomore Nihit Rawal and freshman Serhii Kharchev.
Ramakrishnan played a part in a Morgan State team that finished the year on a 11-match winning streak and will enter the MEAC Championships after claiming the North Division's top seed with a perfect 4-0 conference record.
Morgan State is now set for the 2018 MEAC Championships, beginning with the first round play on Thursday, April 20 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 |
| Theofonis Kontopoulos |
So. |
N.C. Central |
Corinthos, Greece |
| Matthew Foster-Estwick |
Jr. |
Hampton |
Barbados |
| Andres Alacaraz |
So. |
Norfolk State |
Pachuca, Mexico |
| Aleksa Daskolovic |
Fr. |
S.C. State |
Serbia |
| Jakub Vitek |
Sr. |
S.C. State |
Czech Republic |
SECOND TEAM
| Name |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| Jose Plaza |
Jr. |
Bethune-Cookman |
Bogota, Columbia |
| Jorge Rodriguez Rey |
Jr. |
Coppin State |
Bogota, Columbia |
| Frederico Nani |
Jr. |
Florida A&M |
Cordoba, Argentina |
| Arjun Ramakrishnan |
Jr. |
Morgan State |
Chennai, India |
| Gabriel Cucalon |
Jr. |
N.C. Central |
Guayaquil, Ecuador |
| Juan Ramirez |
Fr. |
S.C. State |
Panama |
About Morgan
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
