INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) announced Thursday that Indianapolis sophomore Asier Ayllon Prado has been named the GLVC Player of the Year in the sport of men’s tennis. McKendree’s Ignacio Paolini was voted as the 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 eight from the West Divisions – were recognized as All-Conference honorees, while 10 were named GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award honorees and Quincy 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: Asier Ayllon Prado, Sophomore, Indianapolis
- Earns Indianapolis’s ninth Player of the Year honor and first since Tom Zeuch in 2024.
- Went 22-5 overall and 3-1 in GLVC action at No. 1 singles.
- Partnered with Matthieu Derache at No. 1 doubles, going 12-3 overall and 4-0 against GLVC foes.
- Ranked No. 22 in ITA Division II singles and No. 47 in doubles.
- Helped Greyhounds go 14-4 overall and 4-0 in GLVC action to earn the top seed in the East Division in GLVC Tournament.
- Named GLVC Player of the Week on February 12 and April 8.
- Earns his second All-GLVC honor.
Freshman of the Year: Ignacio Paolini, McKendree
- Joins Jordi Leston in 2023 as the second Bearcat to win the Freshman of the Year.
- Went 10-12 overall and 1-3 in GLVC action at No. 1, 2 and 3 singles.
- Partnered with Bendix Schroeder at No. 1 doubles, going 6-7 overall and 1-3 against GLVC foes.
- Helped Bearcats go 10-13 overall and 2-2 in GLVC action to claim the third seed in East Division for 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.
Indianapolis and Rockhurst headline the 16-member All-GLVC squad with three nods apiece, while Drury, McKendree, and Southwest Baptist follow with two each. Illinois Springfield, Maryville, Missouri-St. Louis, and Quincy round out the team with one honoree.
The selections include eight players each from the East and eight players from the West Divisions. Joining Ayllon Prado and Paolini were two others from UIndy (Mathieu Derache, Tadeo Gaggiofatto) and three from Rockhurst (Ollie Dickason, Alexi Khamrotau, Creed Skinner). Paolini was joined by his teammate Bendix Schroeder, and the pair from Drury (Matthieu Gachon, Jesus “Chuy” Gonzalez), and Southwest Baptist (Alejandro Beneyto Sanchez, Juani Morresi) as the only other multi-selections. Each with one honoree to round out the list was Illinois Springfield (Pable Herrera), Maryville (Michel Delaloye), Missouri-St. Louis (Tommy Griese), and Quincy (Inigo Villacampa).
The league also recognized Quincy as its GLVC Men’s Tennis James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award team recipient, as well as 11 student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These individuals must also 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 2026 All-GLVC teams and postseason honorees can be found below.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Asier Ayllon Prado, So., UINDY
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Ignacio Paolini, Fr., MCK
COACH OF THE YEAR: Winner of Tournament
ALL-GLVC FIRST TEAM
Matthieu Gachon, Jr., DU
Jesus ""Chuy"" Gonzalez, Sr., DU
Pablo Herrera, Sr., UIS
Asier Ayllon Prado, So., UINDY
Mathieu Derache, Sr., UINDY
Tadeo Gaggiofatto, Jr., UINDY
Michel Delaloye, So., MU
Bendix Schroeder, Sr., MCK
Ignacio Paolini, Fr., MCK
Tommy Griese, So., UMSL
Inigo Villacampa, Jr., QU
Alejandro Beneyto Sanchez, Sr., SBU
Juani Morresi, So., SBU
Ollie Dickason, Fr., RU
Alexi Khamrotau, Jr., RU
Creed Skinner, Jr., RU
GLVC JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP HONOREES
Jesus "Chuy" Gonzalez, DU
Pablo Herrera, UIS
Mathieu Derache, UINDY
Luca Morbioli, MU
Bendix Schroeder, MCK
Henry Roberts, UMSL
Inigo Villacampa, QU
Alex Tikhonov, RU
Alexandru Marinescu, SBU
Ian Lewis, WJC
GLVC JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM AWARD
Quincy