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Bridgewater, NJ -- Once again, the NEC women’s tennis awards told the story of the conference’s two dominant programs.
In a campaign that saw FDU reach its third consecutive NEC final, Anastasia Lim (Kazan, Russia) stood tall, becoming the fifth FDU player in program history to be tabbed NEC Player of the Year.
Freshman Sophia Fredericks-McKee (London, England/Latymer Upper School) made an immediate impact for FDU, breaking Saint Francis’ recent stranglehold on the NEC Rookie of the Year winners and securing the sixth such honor for the Knights.
In yet another historic season for Saint Francis, head coach Eric Hovan was recognized by his peers as NEC Coach of the Year in a season that saw the Red Flash capture their first-ever NEC title.
Lim stood out from the rest of the pack in a competitive NEC Player of the Year race. The Kazan, Russia native piled up a career-best 15 singles wins on the season, nine of which came in dual matches. Playing exclusively from the top spot, Lim went 4-1 against league opponents in the regular season and had signature non-conference wins against players from Delaware, Lehigh, Morgan State and St. John’s. Lim finished her collegiate career with double digit win tallies in each of her four seasons with the Knights, building each year to her 2026 tally. The 2023 NEC Rookie of the Year, Lim was awarded her fourth straight All-NEC honor, the latter two being first team nods. She was also selected to the NEC All-Tournament Team
Fredericks-McKee took the league by storm in 2025-26, leading FDU in wins while posting a 22-11 mark in singles action. Her 22 dual meet wins tied for second in the conference. Fredericks-McKee went a perfect 5-0 against NEC foes in the regular season and earned impressive non-conference wins over players from Delaware, Lehigh, Morgan State, Bryant, St. John’s and Temple. She played all but one of her dual matches from the second flight, going 12-5 in that position. The London product was the lone freshman named to the All-NEC first team and she also collected NEC All-Tournament Team plaudits.
The duo’s efforts helped FDU go 6-1 against conference teams and secure the No. 1 seed in the NEC Tournament for the second consecutive season and sixth time in program history. This marked the second year in a row in which FDU have had multiple First-Team selections.
In his fifth year at the helm in Loretto, Hovan guided Saint Francis to the NEC title that had eluded the program for the entirety of the 39-years the conference has sponsored women’s tennis. The Red Flash went 16-8 on the year and 5-1 against NEC opponents in the regular season. Hovan’s squad were winners in 12 of their final 14 matches and won all three of its NEC Tournament matches by 4-0 scores. After falling to FDU in last year’s final, the Red Flash turned the tables this time around, defeating the Knights in the title match. Saint Francis has come a long way as a program since Hovan took over in the 2021-22 season. The Red Flash went 8-15 that year and steadily built towards the season that culminated in their maiden NEC crown. Hovan becomes the sixth coach in NEC history to win Coach of the Year honors on both the men’s and women’s sides, having claimed the 2024 men’s Coach of the Year award.
AWARD WINNER HIGHLIGHTS
The 2026 All-NEC selections are once again a diverse group, consisting of 18 players hailing from 11 different nations.
As was the case in 2025, veterans made up a significant portion of the All-NEC honorees with 13 of the 18 players being upperclassmen.
Conference finalists Saint Francis and FDU shared the lead with three All-NEC singles selections. LIU followed with two, while Chicago State, Mercyhurst, Stonehill, and Wagner had one apiece.
Saint Francis’ two All-NEC First Team selections were Dasha Chichkina (Richboro, PA/Council Rock South) and Kelly Dowuona (Brampton, Ontario/ St. Marguertie d’Youville). Chichkina built upon her 2025 Rookie of the Year nod with another excellent campaign. The sophomore went 22-12 in singles play and 14-6 in dual matches to secure a first team All-NEC nod for the second straight year. Serving as the primary No. 1 singles player for the Red Flash, Chichkina went 11-6 in the top flight and won each of her last nine bouts. Competing mostly at the second flight, Dowuona also went 22-12, including a 13-7 mark in dual matches. She ended her career as the winningest player in program history. Both Dowuona and Chichkina went 5-1 against NEC foes. Helena Lynn (Bethlehem, PA/Mother of Divine Grace) was one of only two freshmen to earn All-NEC recognition, landing a spot on the second team after posting a 26-11 mark in singles play. Lynn played in both the third and fourth flight for Saint Francis, going 18-6 in dual matches. She also went 5-1 against conference opponents and won her last five matches en route to the title.
The Red Flash also sported a pair of All-NEC doubles team. Chichkina and Lynn earned All-NEC first team doubles recognition after going 16-9 as a pair. Dowuona and Emma Marais (Lodi, CA/Vista Oaks Charter) notched All-NEC second team honors with a 7-2 mark.
In its first year competing in the NEC, Chicago State boasted its first conference all-star in Karolina Skowronska (Wroclaw, Poland). The junior, who was named to the second team, finished with 12 singles wins on the year. Skowronska went a perfect 4-0 against league opposition.
Skowronska also earned an All-NEC second team doubles accolade alongside Mackenzie King (Alexandria, VA/Mount Vernon). The tandem went 11-8 together and represented the NEC at the ITA Conference Masters tournament back in November after winning the top flight of the NateRentals.com Binghamton Championships.
In addition to Fredericks-McKee and Lim, FDU added an All-NEC second team singles selection in Yelena Kim (Almaty, Kazakhstan/University of Texas at Tyler). Kim won 11 singles matches, eight of which came in dual matches from the No. 3 position.
Kim and Lim also earned All-NEC First Team doubles recognition with 12 victories. Seven of those wins came as FDU’s top flight tandem in dual matches.
Le Moyne notched an All-NEC second team doubles nod thanks to a strong season from Paula Casares (A Coruna, Spain/Colegio Maristas Cristo Rey) and Ella Fernando (Manchester, England/Stonyhurst College). The pair went 6-4 together as Le Moyne’s first-flight tandem.
Longtime NEC power LIU once again was awarded a pair of All-NEC selections. Ksenia Reznitskaya (Moscow, Russia/Moscow School 2070) and Mia Tsoukalas (Adelaide, South Australia, Australia/Immanuel College) each garnered second-team recognition. Reznitskaya played primarily as LIU’s No. 1 and won six matches. Tsoukalas, now a three-time All-NEC honoree, won her last six singles contests to finish with 11 wins, seven of which came from the second flight.
Mercyhurst’s Daria Rogova (Kharkiv, Ukraine/Kharkiv Gymnasium 116) collected her second consecutive All-NEC second team singles award. The junior went 12-10 in singles play, with six of those wins coming as the top singles player for the Lakers.
Julie Holte (Oslo, Norway/Persbraten) made it back-to back years earning All-NEC recognition, upgrading to first-team honors in 2026. The senior won eight singles bouts and went 5-1 against NEC opponents.
Holte and Madison Warren (Frederick, MD/Governer Thomas Johnson) were named an All-NEC first team doubles tandem as well. The pair went 6-2 overall and 4-0 against league foes. They won six matches in a row as the No. 1 Skyhawks duo to end the season.
Victoria Madail (Maturin, Venezuela/International School of Monagas) added an All-NEC first team singles accolade to her second team honor last spring. Madail thrived as the top singles player for Wagner, going 13-8 overall and 12-4 in dual matches for the Seahawks.
The All-NEC Rookie Team consisted of Fredericks-McKee, Lynn, Binghamton’s Apara Khandare (Hyderabad, India National Institute of Open Schooling), FDU’s Oleksandra Ovsiienko (Dnipro, Ukraine/Novoaleksandrivsky Lyceum), New Haven’s Sofia Lázaro (Trujillo, Peru/Colegio San José Obrero Marianistas) and Saint Francis’ Gabriela Almanza (Orlando, FL/Lake Nona). In its first year as an NEC member, New Haven saw Lázaro earn the program’s first postseason honor.
About The NEC
Now in its 45th season, the NEC is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of ten institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Chicago (#3), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#88). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, New Haven, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.necsports.com) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECSports.
2026 NEC Women's Tennis Award Winners
NEC Player of the Year
Anastasia Lim FDU Sr. Kazan, Russia
NEC Rookie of the Year
Sophia Fredericks-McKee FDU Fr. London, England/Latymer Upper School
NEC Coach of the Year
Eric Hovan Saint Francis 5th season
2026 NEC Women's Tennis First Team All-Conference
Singles
Name School Yr Hometown/High School
Dasha Chichkina Saint Francis So. Richboro, PA/Council Rock High School South
Kelly Dowuona Saint Francis Sr. Brampton, Ontario/St. Marguerite d'Youville
Sophia Fredericks-McKee FDU Fr. London, England/Latymer Upper School
Julie Holte Stonehill Jr. Oslo, Norway/Persbraten
Anastasia Lim FDU Sr. Kazan, Russia
Victoria Madail Wagner So. Maturin, Venezuela/International School of Monagas
Doubles
Name School Yr Hometown/High School
Yelena Kim FDU Sr. Almaty, Kazakhstan/University of Texas at Tyler
Anastasia Lim FDU Sr. Kazan, Russia
Dasha Chichkina Saint Francis So. Richboro, PA/Council Rock High School South
Helena Lynn Saint Francis Fr. Bethlehem, PA/Mother Divine Grace
Julie Holte Stonehill Jr. Oslo, Norway/Persbraten
Madison Warren Stonehill Jr. Frederick, MD/Governer Thomas Johnson
2026 NEC Women’s Tennis Second Team All-Conference
Singles
Name School Yr Hometown/High School
Yelena Kim FDU Sr. Almaty, Kazakhstan/University of Texas at Tyler
Helena Lynn Saint Francis Fr. Bethlehem, PA/Mother Divine Grace
Ksenia Reznitskaya LIU Sr. Moscow, Russia/Moscow School 2070
Daria Rogova Mercyhurst Jr. Kharkiv, Ukraine/Kharkiv Gymnasium 116
Karolina Skowronska Chicago State Jr. Wroclaw, Poland
Mia Tsoukalas LIU So. Adelaide, South Australia, Australia/Immanuel College
Doubles
Name School Yr Hometown/High School
Mackenzie King Chicago State Sr. Alexandria, VA/Mount Vernon
Karolina Skowronska Chicago State Jr. Wroclaw, Poland
Ella Fernando Le Moyne So. Manchester, England/Stonyhurst College
Paula Casares Le Moyne So. A Coruna, Spain/Colegio Maristas Cristo Rey
Kelly Dowuona Saint Francis Sr. Brampton, Ontario/St. Marguerite d'Youville
Emma Marais Saint Francis Fr. Lodi, CA/Vista Oaks Charter
2026 NEC Women’s Tennis All-Rookie Team
Name School Yr Hometown/High School
Gabriela Almanza Saint Francis Fr. Orlando, FL/Lake Nona
Sophia Fredericks-McKee FDU Fr. London, England/Latymer Upper School
Apara Khandare Binghamton Fr. Hyderabad, India/National Institute of Open Schooling
Sofia Lazaro New Haven Fr. Trujillo, Peru/Colegio San Jose Obrero Marianistas
Helena Lynn Saint Francis Fr. Bethlehem, PA/Mother Divine Grace
Oleksandra Ovsiienko FDU Fr. Dnipro, Ukraine/Novoaleksandrivsky Lyceum