MEAC ANNOUNCES 2010 TENNIS ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS Sahar Abdur-Rashid 04/14/10 Howard Women, Florida A&M Men Sweep Tennis Regular Season Accolades VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., April 14, 2010- Howard University women’s and Florida A&M University men’s tennis team swept top honors as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced the 2010 All-MEAC tennis regular-season all-conference awards. All awards were voted on by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors. Howard sophomore Michelle Brown was named the 2010 MEAC Women’s Tennis Player of the Year. Lady Bison head coach Larry Strickland was named MEAC Coach of the Year and Michelle Brown earned Rookie of the Year accolades. On the men’s side, Florida A&M senior David Jackson garnered the 2010 Men’s Tennis Player of the Year honor. Rattlers’ head coach Dr. Carl Goodman was named Men’s Coach of the Year, while Takura Happy was named the 2010 MEAC Rookie of the Year. Michelle Brown, a 2010 All-MEAC First-Team selection, tallied a 14-2 record at the number one and two single’s positions. She recorded an unblemished 5-0 mark in northern divisional play and 9-6 mark (4-0 MEAC) in doubles competition. In 24 years at the helm of the Howard women’s tennis program, Larry Strickland has guided the Lady Bison to four MEAC tennis titles and earned several Outstanding Coach accolades. This season under his tutelage, Howard won their first divisional title with a 5-0 sweep of their northern counterparts and concluded the season with a 13-3 mark. Brittney Morgan was unbeaten in the northern division with a 4-0 mark. The All-MEAC First-Team selection tallied a 13-2 overall record primarily at the number two singles position. In doubles action, she recorded a 7-8 mark including a 2-2 record in northern divisional action. David Jackson posted a 3-0 mark in the southern division and an 12-11 overall record, including a 10-11 mark at the number one singles position and 2-0 mark at the number two spot. In doubles action, he recorded a 12-11 record including a 2-1 mark in conference play. In addition to Player of the year honors, Jackson was named to the 2010 All-MEAC First Team for the first time in his career. The 2010 Men’s Coach of the Year honor is the second for Florida A&M’s Dr. Carl Goodman, who also won the accolade in 2006. Goodman, who is in his 13 year at FAMU, guided his team to an undefeated record (3-0) in MEAC play and 9-15 record overall. Takura Happy, a 2010 All-MEAC First-Team honoree, posted a 13-10 overall mark and 3-0 record in southern divisional matches. He concluded the regular season winning seven of his last ten matches and tallied a 15-7 mark in doubles play. Joining Brown and Morgan on the women’s All-MEAC First-Team are Florida A&M’s Rachel Pye, Hampton’s Jovana Sangria and South Carolina State teammates Maria Cracium, Laura Bosneag and Daria Sekerina. Along with Happy and Jackson, Florida A&M’s Michael Moore earned men’s All-MEAC First-Team honors. Hampton’s Nelio Mattos and Gellert Varga along with Norfolk State’s Arsenio Culver also earned first-team selections. The MEAC Tennis Championships will begin on Friday, April 16 at 8:30 a.m. Tennis action continues on Saturday with semifinal play beginning at 8:30 a.m. for the women and noon for the men. The championships wraps up on Sunday, April 18 at 9 a.m. with the women’s championship final followed by the men’s championship finale at 11:30 a.m. The championship is free and open to the public. -2010 MEAC Tennis All-Conference Selections Attached- Women Player of the Year: Michelle Brown, Howard Rookie of the Year: Brittney Morgan, Howard Coach of the Year: Larry Strickland, Howard First Team Name School Class Hometown Rachel Pye* Florida A&M Senior Miami, Florida Michelle Brown Howard Sophomore Los Angeles, California Brittney Morgan Howard Freshman Beverly Hills, California Jovana Sangria Hampton Junior Long Beach, California Maria Cracium South Carolina State Freshman Romania Laura Bosneag* South Carolina State Sophomore Romania Daria Sekerina South Carolina State Sophomore Samara, Russia Second Team Name School Class Hometown Eva Hankova Bethune-Cookman Senior Prague, Czech Republic Valeshia Kendrick Bethune-Cookman Sophomore Winter Haven, Florida Shereen Peterson-Paul Bethune-Cookman Freshman Ontario, Canada Alexis Brown Florida A&M Sophomore Eagan, Minnesota Kathline Durden Florida A&M Sophomore Antioch, Tennessee Na-Hyun Baek Hampton Senior Seoul, Korea Men Player of the Year: David Jackson, Florida A&M Rookie of the Year: Takura Happy, Florida A&M Coach of the Year: Dr. Carl Goodman, Florida A&M First Team Name School Class Hometown Takura Happy Florida A&M Freshman Mutare, Zimbabwe David Jackson Florida A&M Senior Indianapolis, Indiana Michael Moore Florida A&M Junior New York, New York Nelio Mattos Hampton Sophomore Ribeiraro Preto, Brazil Gellert Varga Hampton Junior Becej, Serbia Arsenio Culver Norfolk State Sophomore Philadelphia, Pa. Second Team Name School Class Hometown Christopher Kano Delaware State Freshman Lima, Peru Maurice Wamokowa* Florida A&M Junior Nairobi, Kenya Alvin Fludd* Hampton Freshman Washington, DC Dymtro Kovalevych South Carolina State Sophomore Czech Republic Alesandr Malko South Carolina State Freshman Romania Gabriel Meana South Carolina State Junior Gijon, Spain Radek Pivonka South Carolina State Junior Prague, Czech Republic [*] Indicates tie