SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Two members of the Fighting Hawks men's tennis team were named to the Summit League Men's Tennis All-Conference team, including an individual award winner, league officials announced on Thursday heading into championship weekend.
Darrshan Suresh Kumar—a freshman from Kuala Lumpur, Malayasia—headlined the accolades for UND as he was named the Summit League Men's Tennis Newcomer of the Year, becoming the fourth-ever Fighting Hawk to earn the accolade behind
Leo Galliano, Nikita Snezhko and Nejc Sitar.
He accrued a strong 3-2 record from the No. 2 position during conference singles action—highlighted by two three-set victories—and complied a 14-8 overall record during the season. His latest win came on the road against Illinois State and clinched the crucial fourth point for UND, booking the team's ticket to the post-season. Suresh Kumar also went off during doubles play, appearing at all three courts throughout the season for an overall record of 13-6 alongside a stellar 10-2 cumulative showing at the No. 2 spot.
His freshman campaign also resulted in a Men's All-Summit League Honorable Mention but the conference accolades didn't stop there for the North Dakota men. Suresh Kumar was joined in the all-conference accolades by teammate,
Leo Galliano.
The 2024-25 Men's Tennis Newcomer of the Year, Galliano secured a spot on the Men's All-Summit League team for the second straight season. He stepped into the No. 1 spot this season for North Dakota and dominated in the role, going 17-2 overall with a 4-1 conference showing. His lone conference singles loss came against nationally-ranked Denver while his only other season loss was a three-set thriller. Galliano also appeared on all three courts during doubles competition and collected an 11-8 overall record with a 2-2 record in conference play.
Post-season play kicks off for the North Dakota men at 6 p.m. on Friday as the No. 2 Fighting Hawks face No. 3 Oral Roberts in the semifinals of the Summit League Men's Tennis Championship.
Men's Coach of the Year
Michael Scovotti, Oral Roberts
Men's Newcomer of the Year
Darrshan Suresh Kumar, North Dakota
Men's Player of the Year
Raffaello Papajcik, Denver
Men's All-Summit League Team
Aaron Beduhn, Denver
Christian Capacci, Illinois State
Theo Coats, Denver
Ricardo Filho, Oral Roberts
Leo Galliano, North Dakota
Samuel Melaga, Drake
Ryoma Mishiro, Denver
Raffaello Papajcik, Denver
Connor Robb-Wilcox, Denver
Samuel Rovai, Denver
Caden Scarlett, Illinois State
Tomas Valencia, Illinois State
Men's All-Summit League Honorable Mention
Jack Berry, Oral Roberts
Alan Gonzalez, Drake
Bryan Kuntz, Omaha
Darrshan Suresh Kumar, North Dakota
Maddox Lundell, Omaha
Liam Spiers, Omaha
For updates and more information on North Dakota tennis, follow on social media @UNDmtennis or visit FightingHawks.com.
