Men's Tennis | 5/12/2026 1:59:21 PM
League Champion St. John Fisher University earned three of the four major individual honors, as junior Tyler Hernandez was named Player of the Year, Hernandez and senior Will Chubb earned Doubles Team of the Year and head coach Jason Byam earned Coach of the Year honors, as the league announced its 2026 Men’s Tennis All-Conference awards on Tuesday, May 12. Alfred University first-year standout André López Jiménez was named the E8 Rookie of the Year. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
The league split into an East and a West Division in 2026, with a first and second singles and doubles team for each division. SUNY Delhi, Norwich University and Thomas College each had two first team singles selections and a first team doubles group to lead the East Division, while Alfred had three first team singles selections and two doubles teams to pace the West Division. Hernandez garnered All-E8 first team singles honors for the third straight season, while the Norwich duo of Terrance Bayly-Henshaw and Jaxson Redmond garnered All-E8 singles honors for the second straight year.
Hernandez, who starred at first singles for the E8 Champion Cardinals, finished 11-4 overall at first singles, including a 7-1 mark in E8 regular season play. Hernandez, a native of Orchard Park, NY, saved his best for the Empire 8 Championship Tournament, winning both singles matches, including a key point in the E8 title match win over Alfred to lead St. John Fisher to the league crown. He was also named the 2026 Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Championship Most Valuable Player.
The team of Hernandez and Chubb went 6-1 at first doubles in league play and finished 8-4 overall in 2025-26. The duo rattled off a six-match winning streak during the spring season to earn the E8 Doubles Team honor.
López Jiménez, a native of Mexico City, Mexico, finished 8-0 in singles play at second singles and 8-0 in doubles play at second doubles in E8 play during the season to claim Rookie of the Year honors. Overall, he went 16-3 at singles (14-2 at second singles and 2-1 at first singles) and partnered with Breece Erickson to finish 14-2 at second doubles. López Jiménez also won seven more doubles matches with two different doubles partners.
Byam was named 2026 Empire 8 Coach of the Year in his first season at his alma mater after leading St. John Fisher to its first Empire 8 Championship in program history. The Cardinals went a perfect 8-0 overall in league play and rolled to the league title with wins over Norwich University, and a 4-3 victory over Alfred in the 2026 E8 Tournament. Five St. John Fisher student-athletes earned All-Empire 8 accolades in 2026.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2025-26 Men’s Tennis Tomorrow’s Leaders Team. This team honors a student-athlete who has emerged as a leader not only on the field of play, but in the classroom and in the community. In addition, they “compete with honor and integrity” and have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
“Developing character and integrity is a hallmark of the Empire 8,” said E8 Executive Director
Chuck Mitrano. “This series is proof that Empire 8 and our member institutions are committed to intercollegiate athletics’ important role in higher education.”
2026 Empire 8 Men’s Tennis All-Conference Selections
Player of the Year: Tyler Hernandez, Jr., St. John Fisher
Doubles Team of the Year: Tyler Hernandez, Jr./Will Chubb, Sr., St. John Fisher
Rookie of the Year: Andre López Jiménez, Fr., Alfred
Coaching Staff of the Year: St. John Fisher, led by head coach Jason Byam
Empire 8 First Team – Singles – EAST DIVISION
Luke Moloney, Fr., SUNY Delhi
Nicholas VanHouten, Sr., SUNY Delhi
Terrance Bayly-Henshaw, Jr., Norwich
Jaxson Redmond, So., Norwich
Dominic Clifford, So., Thomas
Thai Nguyen, Fr., Thomas
Empire 8 First Team – Doubles – EAST DIVISION
Gavin Bonczkowski, Sr./Benjamin Andersen, Sr., SUNY Delhi
Terrance Bayly-Henshaw, Jr./ Jaxson Redmond, Jr., Norwich
Thai Nguyen, Fr./Casey Duncan, So., Thomas
Empire 8 First Team – Singles – WEST DIVISION
Ricardo Alvarez Janik, So., Alfred
Breece Erickson, Jr., Alfred
Andre López Jiménez, Fr., Alfred
Rune Camps, Fr., Houghton
Cole Lyons, Fr., SUNY Oswego
Sebastian Dix, Fr., St. John Fisher
Tyler Hernandez, Jr., St. John Fisher
Empire 8 First Team – Doubles – WEST DIVISION
Andre López Jiménez, Fr./Breece Erickson, Jr., Alfred
Ricardo Alvarez Janik, So./Anlun Zwerver, Gr., Alfred
Tyler Hernandez, Jr./Will Chubb, Sr., St. John Fisher
Empire 8 Second Team – Singles – EAST DIVISION
Devin Guerreri, Jr., SUNY Delhi
Thomas Nicol, Sr., Lesley
Calvin Cutler, Jr., Thomas
Camden Herrick, So., Thomas
David Gratton, Sr., Vermont State Lyndon
Wesley McIntyre, Jr., Vermont State Lyndon
Empire 8 Second Team – Doubles – EAST DIVISION
Nolan Kleinsasser, Jr./Devin Guerreri, Jr., SUNY Delhi
Steven Hartigan, So./Juan Gonzalas Torres, Fr., Norwich
Camden Herrick, So./Dominic Clifford, So., Thomas
Empire 8 Second Team – Singles – WEST DIVISION
Anlun Zwerver, Gr., Alfred
Max Funiciello, Sr., Nazareth
Sean Brown, Sr., St. John Fisher
Will Chubb, Sr., St. John Fisher
Matt Lincoln, Fr., St. John Fisher
Empire 8 Second Team – Doubles – WEST DIVISION
Preston Tobolski, Jr./Jason Murphy, Jr., Houghton
Jose Miguel Garcia Moreta, So./Connor Tutor, Fr., SUNY Oswego
Sebastian Dix, Fr./Matt Lincoln, Fr., St. John Fisher
2026 Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Tomorrow’s Leaders Team
Matthew Bittel, Sr., Alfred
Benjamin Andersen, Sr., SUNY Delhi
Jason Murphy, Jr., Houghton
Thomas Nicol, Sr., Lesley
Matthew Herb, Fr., Nazareth
Terrance Bayly-Henshaw, Jr., Norwich
Deamontay Attaway, Fr., SUNY Oswego
Will Chubb, Sr., St. John Fisher
Nick Magiera, Gr., Thomas
Adiance Cheromiah, So., Vermont State Johnson
Bryan Nazario, Jr., Vermont State Lyndon