Following a vote by the league's head coaches, the Liberty League announced its 2024-25 Men's Tennis Major Awards and All-League teams.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Aiden Drover-Mattinen, Senior, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
For the third time since 2021-22, RPI senior Aiden Drover-Mattinen was selected as the Liberty League Men’s Tennis Player of the Year. This season, Drover-Mattinen posted an overall record of 31-1 in the regular season, including an unbeaten mark of 17-0 (7-0 Liberty League) at number one singles for the Engineers in dual matches. In the fall, he won the singles title at the ITA Northeast Regional and earned a spot in the ITA Cup, where he advanced to the semifinals. He is currently ranked second in the Northeast Region and sixth in Division III. In doubles, Drover-Mattinen teamed up with Andy Zhu at the number one spot for the Engineers, where they went 12-6. They closed out the regular season at 21-10 overall, which included a 14-1 record at in-season tournaments. They earned a spot in the ITA Cup after clinching the doubles title at the ITA Northeast Regional this past fall. The duo are currently ranked second in the Northeast Region. Drover-Mattinen returns to the NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championship for the fourth straight year. He will take part in singles for the fourth straight year and doubles with Zhu for the second consecutive season from May 19-26 in Claremont, Calif.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Yu Tanimoto, Rochester Institute of Technology
For the first time in program history, a RIT Men’s Tennis player has been named the Liberty League Rookie of the Year. Yu Tanimoto earns the 2025 Rookie of the Year nod hit the ground running for the Tigers as the first year earned the number one singles spot in the RIT lineup. He went 11-9 overall this season, including a 9-7 mark at number one in dual matches. Against league opponents, the two-time Liberty League Rookie of the Week selection was 5-2. In doubles, he was joined by classmate Alexander Sinclair and the duo played at number three (10 matches) and two (3 matches) doubles. They were 16-5 overall and 8-5 in dual matches. During in-season tournaments, the pair recorded an unblemished mark of 8-0. Tanimoto helped the Tigers to their most conference wins since joining the Liberty League in 2012 (5). RIT earned the third seed in the conference tournament, and advanced to the semifinals.
COACHING STAFF OF THE YEAR: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – Jon Satkowski, Head Coach; Assistant Coach Stephane Legris
RPI head coach Jon Satkowski and assistant coach Stephane Legris were recognized as the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year. Satkowski and Legris guided the Engineers to an overall record of 19-3, including an unbeaten mark of 8-0 in league play for the second consecutive season. RPI claimed its fourth consecutive Liberty League title with a pair of 4-0 victories in the semifinals and championship match. RPI recorded a 15-match winning streak for the second straight year. The streak spanned over two months; March 8 through May 10. The Engineers advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. They closed out the year ranked third in the Northeast Region and 10th in Division III.