MARLBOROUGH, Mass.—Babson College senior Alexander Merson (Palisades Park, N.J./ Tenafly) was named Athlete of the Year and Michael Kopelman and his two assistants were honored as the Coaching Staff of the Year when the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) announced its men's tennis postseason awards on Tuesday.
 
Merson was also joined on both the All-Conference singles and doubles teams by sophomore Sebastian Mendoza (Weston, Fla./ Cypress Bay) and first-year Maxim Zlobinsky (Greenvale, N.Y./ICL Academy). Sophomore Mason Nguyen (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Jesuit) and first-year Rishi Batlanki (Monroe Township, N.J./ CHIREC International School) were named All-Conference in singles and senior Martin Mejia (Cali, Colombia/IMG Academy), junior Louis Bourn (Geneva, Switzerland) and sophomore Edward Wang (Burr Ridge, Ill./Phillips Academy Andover) earned spots on the All-Conference doubles team.
 
Merson, Mendoza, and Wang received All-NEWMAC accolades for the second time in their careers and the others are all first-time honorees. The All-Conference teams are chosen by a vote of the NEWMAC head coaches.
 
Kopelman and his assistants Kartik Erodula and Andrew Imrie were honored with the coaching staff recognition for the third time in four seasons. They guided the Beavers to their second straight regular season crown and fourth in the past six seasons as well as the second consecutive NEWMAC tournament championship and third since 2021. The Green and White are currently No. 12 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division III rankings and climbed as high as No. 8 back on March 25, the highest ranking in program history.
 
Merson is enjoying an outstanding campaign for the Beavers. He has posted a team-best 18-2 record in singles, including 12-1 in dual matches (10-1 at number one and 2-0 and number 2). He has won 10 of his 11 matches since the beginning of the spring season, including a 4-0 mark against conference foes and six victories over the top player on nationally-ranked teams. He has also posted a 17-6 record in doubles, including 12-4 in dual matches (8-3 at number one and 3-1 at number two) and 3-1 against conference foes. He upped his career records to 36-7 in singles and 39-12 in doubles, and his 75 combined career victories rank 11th on Babson's all-time list.
 
Mendoza earned his second All-Conference selections in another strong campaign for the Green and White. He has a 12-10 record in singles while playing in the top four flights, including 6-4 at number three and 4-2 against conference foes. He leads the team in doubles victories with a 30-6 mark, including 16-5 in dual matches and 6-0 against NEWMAC opponents, and the 30 victories is the new program record for doubles wins in a season. He has increased his career records to 31-19 in singles and 48-18 in doubles, and his 79 career combined wins rank eighth on the program's all-time list.
 
Zlobinsky has produced a successful rookie campaign for the Beavers. He is third on the team in singles wins with a 15-6 record, including 12-5 in dual matches and 4-1 against NEWMAC foes. He registered at least one win in each of the top five flights, including 5-2 at number four and 3-0 at number two. He is also third on the team in doubles with an 18-8 record, including 13-5 in dual matches and 3-1 against conference foes. He has produced an 8-3 record at number one doubles and 5-2 in the other two spots.
 
Nguyen and Batlanki each registered four singles victories against NEWMAC opponents that landed them on the All-Conference team. Nguyen is 9-1 overall in singles, including 5-1 in dual matches and 4-0 against conference foes, while Batlanki is 7-8 overall, including 7-6 in dual matches and 4-1 against NEWMAC opponents. Nguyen is also 4-0 in doubles, including 2-0 against NEWMAC opponents, and Batlanki is 10-3 in doubles, including 5-1 in dual matches and 3-0 versus the conference.
 
Mejia (6-0) and Bourn (5-0) have combined to go 11-0 against NEWMAC opponents in dual matches this spring, including 4-0 as doubles partners. They defeated Clark and Coast Guard at number one doubles and MIT and Springfield at number three. Mejia is 10-11 overall in doubles, including 3-0 at number one, and Bourn is 13-5 overall in doubles, including 3-0 in the top two flights.
 
The 2025 NEWMAC Rookie of the Year, Wang has produced another impressive campaign for the Beavers. He is second on the team in doubles victories with a 27-7 record, including 13-6 in dual matches and 4-0 against conference opponents. He was 10-3 at number two doubles and has a 10-match winning streak. He is also second on the team in singles wins with a 16-6 record, including 13-4 in dual matches and 3-0 against the NEWMAC. In his two seasons for the Beavers, he has combined records of 40-10 in singles and 44-17 in doubles, and his 84 combined career victories rank fifth on the program's all-time list. Wang also received the Most Outstanding Player award after the NEWMAC Tournament final on Sunday.
 
No. 12 Babson (18-4, 7-0 NEWMAC) captured its second straight NEWMAC tournament championship last weekend and third title in six years. The Beavers earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Championships and will learn their first-round opponent and site when the tournament field is announced at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, May 4 via ncaa.com.