INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) announced Thursday that University of Indianapolis sophomore Edgar Destouet has been named the GLVC Player of the Year in the sport of men’s tennis. Additionally, McKendree University’s Jordi Leston was voted GLVC Freshman of the Year and the Coach of the Year will be awarded to the coach of the GLVC Tournament’s winning team.
In all, a total of 16 student-athletes – eight from the East and West Divisions – were recognized as All-Conference honorees, while 11 were named GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award honorees and Drury University was honored with the GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Team Award. Major award winners and All-GLVC teams are voted on by the league’s head coaches.
Player of the Year: Edgar Destouet, So., Indianapolis
- Named UIndy’s seventh Player of the Year and is the first to win since Nils Hoffacker in 2018.
- Played majority of season at No. 1 singles, going 15-3 overall and 5-0 in GLVC action.
- Ranked as high as No. 6 in ITA Division II singles .
- Ranked No. 1 in ITA with partner Tom Zeuch at No. 1 doubles, collecting a 15-1 overall record and 2-1 Conference mark.
- Helped Greyhounds go 16-2 overall and 5-0 in GLVC action to claim the East Division title and top divisional seed in the GLVC Tournament.
- Named GLVC Athlete of the Week on February 21.
- Earns second-straight selection to All-GLVC First Team.
Freshman of the Year: Jordi Leston, McKendree
- First Bearcat to be named GLVC Freshman of the Year in program history.
- Went 9-4 overall and 4-1 in GLVC action, playing a combination of Nos. 2-4 singles.
- Partnered with different teammates at all three doubles spots, collecting an overall record of 9-6 and Conference mark of 2-3.
- Helped McKendree go 12-4 overall and 4-1 in GLVC action to claim the East’s second seed in GLVC Tournament.
- Earns spot on All-GLVC First Team.
Coach of the Year: Winner of the Tournament
- The Coach of the Year award will be presented to the coach of the team that wins the GLVC Tournament.
UIndy headlines the 16-member All-GLVC squad with four selections, while Drury University followed with three representatives. Both McKendree and Southwest Baptist University had two honorees, and Lewis University, Maryville University, Quincy University, Rockhurst University, and William Jewell College rounded out the list with one each.
The selections include eight players each from the East and West Divisions. Joining Destouet from UIndy was Louis Picaud, Nikolaj Talimaa, and Zeuch. Drury’s trio includes Sylvain Garin-Michaud, Yaroslav Sharyy, and Marlon Wilken. Last year’s GLVC Player of the Year Leonardo Schmitz Frederico accompanied Leston for McKendree, while SBU doubles partners Makary Adamek and Youssef Nabil made the list for the Bearcats. Lewis’ Boris Reckow, Maryville’s Mario Aleksic, Quincy’s Samuele Contestabile, Rockhurst’s Louis Keiner, and Jewell’s Ugnius Bickauskis were the other five recognized.
Drury earned the sport’s GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Team Award, while 11 student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior were also recognized. These individuals must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. The honorees are now eligible to become one of their school’s two Spalding Sportsmanship Award winners, which will be announced in May.
A complete list of the 2023 All-GLVC team and postseason honorees can be found below.
GLVC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Edgar Destouet, So., Indianapolis
GLVC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Jordi Leston, McKendree
GLVC COACH OF THE YEAR: Winner of Tournament
ALL-GLVC FIRST TEAM
Sylvain Garin-Michaud, Sr., DU
Yaroslav Sharyy, So., DU
Marlon Wilken, Sr., DU
Edgar Destouet, So., UINDY #
Louis Picaud, So., UINDY
Nikolaj Talimaa, Sr., UINDY
Tom Zeuch, Sr., UINDY
Boris Reckow, Gr., LEWIS
Mario Aleksic, So., MU
Leonardo Schmitz Frederico, Sr., MCK
Jordi Leston, Fr., MCK
Samuele Contestabile, Gr., QU
Louis Keiner, So., RU
Makary Adamek, So., SBU
Youssef Nabil, Jr., SBU
Ugnius Bickauskis, So., WJC
# Unanimous selection
GLVC JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP HONOREES
Sylvain Garin-Michaud, DU
Sebastian Jonsson, UIS
Nikolaj Talimaa, UINDY
Boris Reckow, LEWIS
Juan Suero, MU
Toño Velasco, MCK
Juan Vigil, UMSL
Zach Willing, QU
Louis Keiner, RU
Alvaro Nunez, SBU
Max Wheeler, WJC
GLVC JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM AWARD
Drury