ITHACA, N.Y. -- Fresh off its Ivy League championship run and on the eve of the NCAA tournament, the Cornell men's tennis team was well represented in the conference's postseason awards, highlighted by unanimous first-team selection Rodrigo Fernandes and Coaching Staff of the Year honors after a historic season for the Big Red.

Fernandes headlined the Big Red's selections after a standout sophomore campaign in which he posted a 23-10 overall record and went 13-7 in dual play at the No. 1 position. Ranked No. 62 nationally, Fernandes earned unanimous first-team All-Ivy honors and delivered one of the defining moments of the season, defeating Columbia's Michael Zheng in a three-set thriller to clinch Cornell's Ivy League title. In all, he won four matches this season against fellow first-team members.

Cornell placed two players on the second team in singles, as Rethin Pranav Senthil Kumar and Eric Verdes were both recognized.

Senthil Kumar enjoyed a breakout freshman season, going 23-5 overall and 14-1 in dual matches, including a perfect 6-0 mark in Ivy play. He played a pivotal role in multiple team victories, including clinching matches against Penn and contributing key wins during Cornell's late-season surge.

Verdes, a junior, compiled an 11-9 overall record and went 11-6 in dual competition, earning second-team honors after delivering several clutch performances down the stretch. He capped his season with a three-set victory over Columbia's Sachin Palta in the Ivy League title match, helping secure the championship.

In doubles, Cornell also earned second-team recognition behind the pairing of Senthil Kumar and Rushil Khosla, who formed one of the conference's most consistent tandems. The duo posted a 19-5 overall record, including 14-4 in dual matches and 5-1 in Ivy League play, frequently securing the doubles point for the Big Red.

The team of Felipe Pinzon and Petar Teodorovic earned honorable mention All-Ivy honors after a dominant season that saw the pair go 20-3 overall, including a perfect 7-0 mark in conference play. The duo captured the ITA New England Regional title to qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship and played a key role in Cornell's doubles success throughout the spring.

Senior captain Aman Sharma was the Big Red's representative on the Academic All-Ivy team and is on track to graduate with his degree in Hotel Administration next month.

Cornell's success extended beyond individual accolades, as head coach Silviu Tanasoiu and assistant coach Marco Martizi were named Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year for following the team's 18-3 season that included a 6-1 mark in conference play. The Big Red closed the season winning 12 of its final 13 matches, including eight victories over ranked opponents, culminating in the program's third Ivy League title.

Columbia's Michael Zheng was named Ivy League Player of the Year, while Harvard's Nathan Blokhin earned Rookie of the Year honors.

Cornell will face Arkansas in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament on Friday, May 1 at 2 p.m. CT at TCU's Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.

---

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Michael Zheng, Columbia
 
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Nathan Blohkin, Harvard*
 
COACHING STAFF OF THE YEAR
Cornell
 
FIRST TEAM ALL-IVY SINGLES^
Michael Zheng, Columbia*
Rodrigo Fernandes, Cornell*
Rohan Murali, Harvard*
Paul Inchauspe, Princeton*
Vignesh Gogineni, Yale*
Nicolas Kotzen, Columbia
Manfredi Graziani, Penn
 
FIRST TEAM ALL-IVY DOUBLES
Manfredi Graziani/Aaron Sandler, Penn*
Michael Zheng/Nicolas Kotzen, Columbia
Vignesh Gogineni/Edward Liao, Yale
 
SECOND TEAM ALL-IVY SINGLES^
Rethin Pranav, Cornell
Eric Verdes, Cornell
Miles Groom, Dartmouth
Nathan Blohkin, Harvard
Shaurya Bharadwaj, Penn
Top Nidunjianzan, Princeton
Edward Liao, Yale
 
SECOND TEAM ALL-IVY DOUBLES
Rethin Pranav/Rushil Kohsla, Cornell
Miles Groom/Henry Ren, Dartmouth
Paul Inchauspe/Top Nidunjianzan, Princeton
 
HONORABLE MENTION
Abhishek Thorat, Columbia
Peter Privara, Harvard
Sebastian Sec, Princeton
Sachin Palta/Andrew Ena, Columbia
Felipe Pinzon/Petar Teodorovic, Cornell
Rohan Murali/Kolos Kincses, Harvard
 
* Unanimous selection
^ Team expanded due to ties in voting