TROY, N.Y. – Skidmore College first-year Ege Topbas was named the Liberty League Men's Tennis Rookie of the Year, and the staff under AJ Nelson was named the Coaching Staff of the Year as announced on Tuesday.
 
Topbas (Second Team Singles) was joined on the All-League team by Yuval Goodman (First Team Singles), Nika Mori (Second Team Doubles), Fletcher King (Second Team Doubles), and Kyle Lundberg (Honorable Mention Singles).
 
Ege Topbas (Fr., Istanbul, Turkey) – Liberty League Men's Tennis Rookie of the Year, All-Liberty League Second Team Singles
The six-time Liberty League Rookie of the Week had a combined record of 42-12 in his phenomenal first year at Skidmore, including a 27-5 mark in doubles and a 20-match win streak that remains active and is believed to be the longest in program history. He went 22-1 in dual matches out of the No. 4 spot for the Thoroughbreds, and did not lose in conference. He was also 15-7 overall in doubles, all with partner Kyle Lundberg. They were 5-3 against the Liberty League and ended on a six-match winning streak. Topbas is Skidmore's first Rookie of the Year in men's tennis since John Rado in 2022, and 10^th all-time.
 
AJ Nelson (Head Coach), John Chiaramonte (Assistant Coach) – Liberty League Men's Tennis Coaching Staff of the Year
Nelson guided Skidmore to its first conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021 in his second season. Picked third in the preseason coaches poll, the Thoroughbreds finished the season with a 17-6 overall record, and went 7-1 in the Liberty League regular season for the second seed. In the conference tournament, Skidmore defeated Ithaca (4-1), and Vassar (4-3) for the title. The team later beat Bridgewater State (4-0) in the NCAA First Round. It is Skidmore's first Coaching Staff of the Year award in men's tennis since 2019.
 
Yuval Goodman (Jr., Toronto, Ontario) – All-Liberty League First Team Singles
Goodman went 11-15 overall in singles, including 10-11 going against opponents' top players in the No. 1 singles spot for the Thoroughbreds. Strong in conference play, he went 6-2 against league opponents in the regular season. In the playoffs, he was ahead late in the second set of his semifinal match when Skidmore clinched it, and also had a big lead in the NCAA First Round over his opponent from Bridgewater State.
 
Nika Mori (Sr., Kurashiki, Japan)/Fletcher King (Jr., New York, New York) – All-Liberty League Second Team Doubles
Mori and King produced a 17-11 doubles record as a duo with appearances in all three spots in the lineup. In dual matches, they were 14-7 including a 6-2 mark in regular season league matches. Particularly strong out of the No. 2 spot, Mori and King went 7-2. They ended their year winners of seven of their final 10 matches.
 
Kyle Lundberg (Sr., Manhattan Beach, California) – All-Liberty League Honorable Mention Singles
Lundberg held the No. 2 spot in the lineup for Skidmore in singles. He went 10-12 in dual matches at the top of the lineup, and 11-17 overall in singles for the year. In eight regular season conference matches, Lundberg was 5-3. The Liberty League Tournament Most Outstanding Player turned the tide of the championship match with a huge win to make it 3-2 before two more Skidmore wins in singles clinched the title.
 
2025-26 LIBERTY LEAGUE MEN'S TENNIS TEAMS & AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Yu Tanimoto, RIT
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Ege Topbas, Skidmore
COACHING STAFF OF THE YEAR: Skidmore College
 
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE FIRST TEAM
Singles:
Nick Fischer, Hobart
Yuval Goodman, Skidmore
Ivan Kisic, Ithaca
Eugene Lee, Vassar
Tsubasa Okada, RPI
Yu Tanimoto, RIT
 
Doubles:
Nick Fischer / Aidan Staunton, Hobart
Tsubasa Okada / Tasmay Shah, RPI
Yu Tanimoto / Alexander Sinclair, RIT
 
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE SECOND TEAM
Singles:
Fernando Bauermeister, Vassar
Luis Crespo, Ithaca
Gijis Fidler, Ithaca
Nolan Kubiak, Vassar
Tasmay Shah, RPI
Jesus Sosa, Union
Ege Topbas, Skidmore
 
Doubles:
Fernando Bauermeister / Nolan Kubiak, Vassar
Josh David / Jake David, St. Lawrence
Nika Mori / Fletcher King, Skidmore
 
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE HONORABLE MENTION
Singles:
Solen Bellemare, Union
Josh David, St. Lawrence
Achilleas Kousaridis, Hobart
Kyle Lundberg, Skidmore
 
Doubles:
Pedro Cattaruzzi / Junchen Jia, Vassar
Achilleas Kousaridis / Everett Reid, Hobart