Mike Stevens repeated as America East Coach of the Year and Juliana Umeki won AE Rookie of the Year honors at the conference’s end-of-the-year banquet last night in New Haven, CT.

When the dust settled, all six starters in the Bearcats’ lineup were honored in one way or another. Lya Kushnirovich, a mainstay at fourth singles all year long, was honored on the all-conference first team, while juniors Zeynep Altinay and Jelena Koprivica and sophomore Jenn Naegeli earned their respective spots (two, three and five) on the all-conference second team. Kushnirovich, a junior, did not lose a match in conference play all season long.

The team of freshman Nicole Scarangella and Kushnirovich earned the first-team third doubles honors, while the second doubles team of Umeki and Altinay made the second team.

Umeki, named Rookie of the Year, did not make the first or second team, probably because she joined the Bearcats in January. However, her performance was scintillating in limited action, going 15-3 overall, 12-2 in dual matches. In 2004, teammate Zeynep Altinay won Rookie of the Year honors and was the only Bearcat to win her match in the finals against Boston.

Meanwhile, Boston, as expected, swept most of the first team honors. The Terriers have won 11 straight America East championships, their most recent via a 4-1 defeat of Binghamton last April.

Stevens and his Bearcats, however, have a historical knack of proving doubters wrong. In 2004, with a lineup that included three walk-ons, the fifth-seeded Bearcats upset fourth-seeded UNH in the first round. Last year, as the second seed, they put up a great fight against a stronger Boston squad.

With their strongest lineup ever, however, the goals this year are very different. The Bearcats open their postseason with a noon match against No. 7 Hartford today at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale University. If they win, they’ll face the winner of No. 3 UMBC vs. No. 6 UNH in the semifinals.