E8 Tennis Honors for Persson, Stavrakas and Gachko
The Empire 8 Athletic Conference has announced the
2017 Men’s Tennis All-Conference teams, as voted on by the conference’s coaches. In addition, the Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year have been selected.
Player of the Year: Will Persson, Stevens
Junior Will Persson has been voted the Empire 8 Player of the Year. It marks the seventh straight season a student-athlete from Stevens has claimed the top honor. Perrson helped lead Stevens to an unprecedented eighth consecutive E8 title as he was named the tournament MVP. The Leonia, NJ native posted a 13-11 singles record and 16-10 mark in doubles with partner Divin Sarthak.
Rookie of the Year: Minos Stavrakas, Ithaca
For the second time in three years and sixth time overall the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year is from Ithaca College. Minos Stavrakas posted a 30-14 combined record in 2016-17. Stavrakas held down the first position in the Ithaca singles lineup going 10-4 in dual matches and 8-1 in tournaments. He also played first doubles and finished the season at 12-9. In conference matches he logged a 3-1 mark in singles and a 4-0 record in doubles.
Coach of the Year: Steve Gachko, Stevens
This year’s award will be going back to the Hoboken, NJ, as Stevens Head Coach Steve Gachko claimed a record –setting eighth consecutive Coach of the Year accolade. Gachko guided Stevens to an 12-14 overall record and a flawless showing in E8 matches en route to a eighth straight conference title. Stevens extended its E8 regular season win streak to 57 matches dating back to April 11, 2010.
In addition, one member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2017 Sportsman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
Player of the Year: Will Persson, Stevens Institute of Technology
Rookie of the Year: Minos Stavrakas, Ithaca College
Coach of the Year: Steve Gachko, Stevens Institute of Technology