The Tribune

BAHAMIAN female tennis player Danielle Thompson, a senior at Morgan State, was named the 2018 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Year, as announced by the league office yesterday in Norfolk, Va.

Rehaana Butt of Bethune-Cookman was named the MEAC Rookie of the Year, while Clayton Hamilton of Hampton was named MEAC Coach of the Year.

Thompson, who was also named to the All-MEAC first team, becomes the first Lady Bear to receive first-team honours since 2013, when then junior Ekaterina Iakovleva and freshman Mi’Kola Cooper were both named as All-MEAC first team selections.

“This is a huge honour and recognition for Danielle. She’s played nothing short of excellent for the entire year,” said Morgan State head coach Matthew Townes, who was named MEAC Coach of the Year on the men’s side. “She’s led these ladies in every aspect and it’s only right that she goes out on top! “I’ve been blessed to have her in this programme, and we will surely miss her in the fall.”

A three-time MEAC Player of the Week recipient, Thompson went 14-7 at No. 1 singles to lead the MEAC in total singles victories. A native of Nassau, Bahamas, Thompson concluded the regular season going 9-1 in her last 10 matches, including a seven-match winning streak and was a perfect 6-0 in MEAC Northern Division play. She recorded her 52nd career singles victory, a modern day Morgan State school record, following a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Sarah Adewumi of Maryland Eastern Shore in the season finale and last home contest for Thompson at Morgan State (4/18).

The win was Thompson’s seventh straight and helped the Lady Bears secure the No. 2 seed out of the northern division for the upcoming MEAC Tennis Championship (April 26-28) at Folkes-Stevens Tennis Centre on the campus of Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va.

Thompson would spend the majority of the season paired with sophomore Peggy Rooke at the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles positions. The two would go a combined 9-4, including 4-0 at the No. 2 spot and finished 4-0 in MEAC action.

Joining Thompson on the All-MEAC first team were Rehaana Butt, Matea Roki and Alejandra Vidal of Bethune-Cookman; Yulia Kapitanova (Hampton) and Dajana Cvjetkovic (Norfolk State).