The Hillsdale College women's and men's tennis teams kicked off G-MAC Tournament play today at the Centre Court in Owensboro, Kentucky, and multiple players from both teams also earned recognition for their play in the conference regular season from the G-MAC this afternoon as well.
Hillsdale's women's team brought home one of the six major awards as freshman Ane Dannhauser became the third women's tennis player in Hillsdale College history to earn conference Freshman of the Year honors, joining Halle Hyman in 2015 and Hannah Cimpeanu in 2018. Dannhauser impressed beyond her years in her first season playing at Hillsdale College, spending the entire campaign at either No. 1 or 2 singles and at No. 2 doubles and putting up 27 wins against some of the best competition the Midwest Region had to offer. Dannhauser played at No. 1 singles for the entire conference campaign, finishing with a 5-4 record against the best player from each conference opponent, and also went 7-2 with partner Courtney Rittel at No. 2 doubles in G-MAC play. It's an encouraging start for a player who's sure to be a fixture in the lineup for Hillsdale for years to come.
Also earning honors for the Chargers women was senior Melanie Zampardo, who earned second-team All-G-MAC honors for the third consecutive season after also taking home honors in 2022 and 2023. Zampardo was a mainstay at No. 1 and No. 2 singles for Hillsdale throughout the 2024 campaign, and teamed with sophomore Megan Hackman on a nationally-ranked doubles team that went 17-10 and earned Hillsdale several doubles points throughout the season. Playing at No. 2 singles for conference play, Zampardo went 5-4 for the Chargers, and also finished with a 6-3 record at No. 1 doubles in the G-MAC as well. Zampardo graduates as one of just five players in Hillsdale College history to earn three All-Conference honors in their careers.
On the men's side, the Chargers were well-represented with two first-team All-G-MAC honorees and a second-team All-G-MAC honoree.
Sophomore Aidan Pack earned the first All-G-MAC honor of his career after representing Hillsdale at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles throughout the entire 2024 campaign. Playing against the best competition every one of Hillsdale's opponents had to offer, Pack battled to 11 singles victories and a 5-3 mark in G-MAC play, representing the Chargers well at the top of the lineup, while adding 12 victories in doubles as well, and marking himself as a player to watch in the future as he nears the halfway point of his college career.
Two veteran men's tennis superstars for Hillsdale College also got some final recognition for their strong play throughout their careers. Hillsdale's all-time wins leader, senior Tyler Conrad, earned first team honors as well for the fourth consecutive year, becoming Hillsdale's first-ever four-time first-team All-Conference honoree in program history. Conrad, who has 126 wins in his storied career, added 25 to that total this season playing No. 2 singles and No. 2 doubles for the Chargers, going an impressive 6-2 in singles and 5-3 in doubles in G-MAC play.
Joining Conrad in becoming a four-time All-G-MAC honoree is senior Sean Barstow, whose 119 wins rank third all-time at Hillsdale behind Conrad and 2020 graduate Charlie Adams. Barstow made the All-G-MAC second team for the third season in a row after posting an impressive 6-2 record in G-MAC play at No. 3 singles and a 17-8 mark in singles overall for the 2024 season.
All five players on both teams are competing for the Chargers this weekend in the 2024 G-MAC Tournament, with play already underway today, Thursday and running through the championship matches on Saturday.