SIOUX FALL, S.D. – With the 2025 Summit League tennis regular season in the books, league officials announced the annual all-league awards Thursday ahead of this weekend’s 2025 Summit League Tennis Championships. Selected by a vote of the league’s head coaches, the honors reflect the student-athletes’ exceptional performances throughout the Summit League season.
 
On the men's side, Denver's Daniel Sancho Arbizu became the third consecutive Pioneer to earn Player of the Year honors, while North Dakota's Leo Galliano was named Newcomer of the Year, marking the third UND men’s athlete to receive the accolade.
 
Sancho Arbizu delivered a dominant season for Denver, finishing with a 19-2 singles record at No. 1, including a perfect 5-0 mark in league play. The senior maintained his presence in the ITA top 50 rankings throughout the season, reaching a career-high No. 24 in January after a stellar fall campaign, which saw him capture the ITA Mountain Regionals title and notch multiple victories over top-15 opponents at the ITA All-American Championships. Sancho Arbizu capped off the regular season on a 13-match win streak and has amassed 28 total wins for Denver this season.
 
Galliano made an immediate impact in his first season with North Dakota, earning the Newcomer of the Year accolade. The freshman compiled a 4-1 singles record in league play at No. 3, with his only loss coming against Denver. He also contributed in No. 2 and No. 3 doubles and finished the regular season with an impressive 17-3 overall singles record.
 
For the third straight year, Denver men's head coach Drew Eberly earned the Coach of the Year award after leading the Pioneers to a perfect 5-0 record in Summit League play. Under Eberly’s guidance, Denver maintained its ITA ranking throughout the season and sits at No. 65 ahead of the postseason. The Pioneers secured key victories over No. 65 Utah State (5-2) and No. 65 New Mexico (4-3) during the regular season.
 
On the women's side, Oral Roberts' Arina Sorokina claimed Player of the Year honors, becoming the first Golden Eagle to win the award since Iryna Khatsko in 2012, while Denver’s Marley Lambert was named Newcomer of the Year, marking the fourth consecutive Pioneer to earn the recognition.
Sorokina shined in league play, finishing with a 5-1 singles record at No. 1, along with two doubles victories. The senior posted a 10-6 overall singles record in her No. 1 role and finished with a 6-10 doubles ledger for the Golden Eagles.
 
Lambert continued Denver’s trend of standout newcomers by securing Newcomer of the Year honors. She compiled a 4-2 singles record at No. 4, along with a 4-1 doubles record at No. 1 alongside Andrea Burguete Beltran. Lambert was a four-time Peak Doubles Team of the Week honoree and remained nationally ranked in doubles in all but one week of 2025.
 
For the fourth consecutive season, Denver women's head coach Paul Wardlaw secured Coach of the Year recognition, leading the Pioneers to their 11th straight Summit League regular season title and a perfect 6-0 record in conference play.
 
Three-time honorees Sancho Arbizu and Ryoma Mishiro of Denver headline the 2025 Men’s All-Summit League Team, along with fellow Pioneers Raffaello Papajcik, Connor Robb-Wilcox, Samuel Rovai, and Rikuto Yamaguchi.
 
Joining Denver’s standouts are Drake’s Jose Alessandro Hernandez, Illinois State’s Tomas Valencia, North Dakota’s Leo Galliano, Andrew Hayduke II, and Leandro Zgraggen, along with Omaha’s Mikhail Korkunov.
 
Featured on the men’s honorable mention were ILS’s Adrian Dibildox, UND’s Ange-Kevin Koua, UNO’s Ethan Gaubert and Bryan Kuntz and ORU’s Ricardo Filho and Parv Nage.
 
For the women, five Pioneers earned All-Summit League honors, led by four-time honoree Burguete Beltran. Teammates Claudia Martinez de Velasco and Louise Wikander secured their third All-Summit selections, while Kansas City’s Catherine Chrobak, Omaha’s Zoe Adkins, and South Dakota’s Beata Havlickova made the team for the second time.
 
First-time All-Summit selections include Hana Becirovic Novak (Denver), Natalie Cinkova (Denver), Katelynn Kock (Omaha), Nina Wiese (Omaha), Arina Sorokina (Oral Roberts) and Grace Chadick (South Dakota).
 
Khayli Buckels (Omaha) and Chara Grammatikaki (Oral Roberts) earned honorable mention accolades for the second time in their careers, while Lambert (Denver), Andrea Pineda (North Dakota), Cassie Cervantes (Oral Roberts), and Luna Morini (Oral Roberts) were recognized for the first time.
 
Men’s Coach of the Year
Drew Eberly, Denver
 
Men’s Newcomer of the Year
Leo Galliano, North Dakota
 
Men’s Player of the Year
Daniel Sancho Arbizu, Denver
 
Men’s All-Summit League Team
Ryoma Mishiro, Denver
Raffaello Papajcik, Denver
Connor Robb-Wilcox, Denver
Samuel Rovai, Denver
Daniel Sancho Arbizu, Denver
Rikuto Yamaguchi, Denver
Jose Alessandro Hernandez, Drake
Tomas Valencia, Illinois State
Leo Galliano, North Dakota
Andrew Hayduke II, North Dakota
Leandro Zgraggen, North Dakota
Mikhail Korkunov, Omaha
 
Men’s All-Summit League Honorable Mention
Adrian Dibildox, Illinois State
Ange-Kevin Koua, North Dakota
Ethan Gaubert, Omaha
Bryan Kuntz, Omaha
Ricardo Filho, Oral Roberts
Parv Nage, Oral Roberts
 
Women’s Coach of the Year
Paul Wardlaw, Denver
 
Women’s Newcomer of the Year
Marley Lambert, Denver
 
Women’s Player of the Year
Arina Sorokina, Oral Roberts
 
Women’s All-Summit League Team
Hana Becirovic Novak, Denver
Andrea Burguete Beltran, Denver
Natalie Cinkova, Denver
Claudia Martinez de Velasco, Denver
Louise Wikander, Denver
Catherine Chrobak, Kansas City
Zoe Adkins, Omaha**
Katelynn Kock, Omaha
Nina Wiese, Omaha
Arina Sorokina, Oral Roberts
Grace Chadick, South Dakota
Beata Havlickova, South Dakota
 
Women’s All-Summit League Honorable Mention
Marley Lambert, Denver
Andrea Pineda, North Dakota
Khayli Buckels, Omaha
Cassie Cervantes, Oral Roberts
Chara Grammatikaki, Oral Roberts
Luna Morini, Oral Roberts