Junior Brian Hackman stepped up big-time when the Hillsdale College men's tennis team needed him most this past weekend.
The Great Midwest Athletic Conference took notice.
On Wednesday, the G-MAC office announced that Hackman had won conference men's tennis Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career.
The award comes after a week where the junior from Island Lake, Illinois won two grueling three-set matches at No. 4 singles for the Chargers, one of which proved critical in a narrow 4-3 win against tough regional opponent Wayne State on Sunday.
Against the Warriors' Luke Laws, Hackman rallied from a 4-6 first set loss to win 6-3, 6-4 and provide a critical point to help Hillsdale improve to 4-0 on the season in dual matches.
The day before, Hackman was victorious in another tough match against Purdue Northwest, beating the Pride's Levent Evyapan 7-5, 3-6, 10-8 for the Chargers in Hillsdale's 7-0 victory over Purdue Northwest.
Pairing with teammate Daniel Gilbert, Hackman also picked up a win at No. 3 doubles against Purdue Northwest, winning 6-4, and came up just short of a 4-0 weekend in a narrow 7-6 (5) tiebreak loss at No. 3 doubles against Wayne St.
One of just two returning players in a young Hillsdale lineup who saw match action in 2019-20, Hackman has proven to be a leader and a dependable contributor for the Chargers wherever he's placed in the lineup.
Hackman and the Chargers have two matches this weekend, traveling to Grand Rapids to play Grand Valley State on Saturday, and hosting Ferris State on Sunday.
Photo by Anthony Lupi