NORFOLK, Va., April 26, 2023–Morgan State junior Mikael Carpenter and South Carolina State junior Sofiya Chursina were named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s (MEAC) 2023 Men’s and Women’s Tennis Players of the Year, presented by Wells Fargo, as voted on by the conference’s head coaches and sports information directors.
South Carolina State’s Novak Novakovic was named the men’s Rookie of the Year, and South Carolina State’s Hardeep Judge earned Coach of the Year honors for both the men and the women. North Carolina Central’s Alejandra Hidalgo Vega was chosen as the women’s Rookie of the Year.
Carpenter is 13-2 on the season in singles play, all at the No. 1 position, and he comes into the MEAC Tennis Championships on a nine-match winning streak. He won all five of his singles matches in MEAC play, winning four of the five matches in straight sets. He is also 8-5 in doubles play, 3-1 in MEAC play, having split time throughout the season in all three doubles slots. Carpenter is Morgan State’s first MEAC Player of the Year.
Novakovic is the sixth Bulldog to be named Rookie of the Year (and second straight, after Rostislav Halfinger last season). He went 6-2 in singles play on the season, all at the No. 2 slot, including a 3-1 mark in MEAC play. He was just as strong in doubles action, going 6-1 overall and a perfect 4-0 in league play — most of which came at the No. 3 position.
Judge led South Carolina State to both tennis regular-season titles yet again, as both Bulldog squads went undefeated in conference play and are the top seeds in their respective MEAC Tennis Championship brackets. This is Judge’s sixth Coach of the Year honor on the women’s side, and his eighth on the men’s side.
Joining Carpenter and Novakovic on the Men’s All-MEAC First Team are Morgan State’s Niles Rachal, Norfolk State’s Federico Rebecchini and South Carolina State’s Aissa Benchakroun and Pedro Sasso.
Chursina was a perfect 6-0 in MEAC play from the No. 1 singles position, going 10-5 overall from that slot. She won all six of her conference singles matches in straight sets, and also went a perfect 6-0 in MEAC doubles matches — all at the No. 1 slot. She enters the MEAC Tennis Championships having won eight of her last nine singles matches, and Chursina is the Bulldogs’ second MEAC Player of the Year in three seasons (Rachida Berjane in 2021).
Hidalgo Vega is 14-4 in singles play this season, including a 4-1 mark in conference play, having played the majority of her matches at the No. 1 slot (8-1). She has won nine of her last 10 singles matches and comes into the MEAC Tennis Championships on a six-match winning streak. She went 3-2 in doubles play in MEAC action this season, and all six of her doubles wins came at the No. 3 spot. She is the Eagles’ first MEAC Rookie of the Year.
Chursina and Hidalgo Vega are joined on the Women’s All-MEAC First Team by Howard’s Sifa Butcher, Norfolk State’s Aleksandra Evdokimova; North Carolina Central’s Candice Bernier and South Carolina State’s Hind Semlali.
The 2023 MEAC Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships begin with women’s play on Thursday at 8 a.m., with the men starting at 2 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 1 p.m.
All matches will be held at the Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C. Visit Championship Central for more information.
2023 Women’s Tennis All-MEAC Teams
As voted on by the conference’s head tennis coaches and sports information directors.
Player of the Year: Sofiya Chursina, South Carolina State
Rookie of the Year: Alejandra Hidalgo Vega, North Carolina Central
Coach of the Year: Hardeep Judge, South Carolina State
First Team
| Name | Class | School | Hometown | ||||
| Sifa Butcher | So. | Howard | Pembroke Pines, Fla. | ||||
| Aleksandra Evdokimova | So. | Norfolk State | Moscow, Russia | ||||
| Candice Bernier | Fr. | North Carolina Central | Repentigny, Canada | ||||
| Alejandra Hidalgo Vega | Fr. | North Carolina Central | Madrid, Spain | ||||
| Sofiya Chursina | Jr. | South Carolina State | Kazakhstan | ||||
| Hind Semlali | Jr. | South Carolina State | Casablanca, Morocco |
Second Team
| Name | Class | School | Hometown | ||||
| Daria Jula | Jr. | Delaware State | Ordea, Romania | ||||
| Kit Ye Kay Au-Yeung | So. | Delaware State | Hong Kong, China | ||||
| Selah Stibbins | Fr. | Howard | Minneapolis, Minn. | ||||
| Lauryn Hall | Fr. | Morgan State | Bowie, Md. | ||||
| Hannah Smith | So. | Morgan State | Columbia, Md. | ||||
| Nalanda Silva | Jr. | South Carolina State | Brazil |
2023 Men’s Tennis All-MEAC Teams
Player of the Year: Mikael Carpenter, Morgan State
Rookie of the Year: Novak Novakovic, South Carolina State
Coach of the Year: Hardeep Judge, South Carolina State
First Team
| Name | Class | School | Hometown |
| Mikael Carpenter | Jr. | Morgan State | Suitland, Md. |
| Niles Rachal | So. | Morgan State | Woodstock, Ga. |
| Federico Rebecchini | Gr. | Norfolk State | Verano, Italy |
| Aissa Benchakroun | So. | South Carolina State | Morocco |
| Novak Novakovic | Fr. | South Carolina State | Serbia |
| Pedro Sasso | So. | South Carolina State | Brazil |
Second Team
| Name | Class | School | Hometown |
| Luka Markovic | Sr. | Coppin State | Serbia |
| Marcel Dawson | So. | Howard | Columbus, Ga. |
| Adam Kaczmarek | Fr. | Norfolk State | Poznan, Poland |
| Kareem Abdul Hakim | Fr. | North Carolina Central | Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Facundo Olmedo | Fr. | North Carolina Central | Miami, Fla. |
| Sebastian Pino | Gr. | North Carolina Central | Caracas, Venezuela |