VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 1-ranked Valdosta State men's tennis team swept the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) South Region Awards, announced this week by the organization. 
 
Blazer head coach John Hansen was named South Region Coach of the Year as he has guided the No. 1-seed Blazers to a 23-0 record this season and a berth in the NCAA National Quarterfinals Wednesday at 3 p.m. versus No. 8-seed Indianapolis.  Click here for live stats of the match. 
 
First-year graduate assistant Luca Mack was named Assistant Coach of the Year for the region, while senior Takeshi Taco was named the Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship winner for the region.  
 
Blazer freshman Julien Doitteau was named ITA Region Rookie of the Year, while junior Jan Skerbatis earned South Region Most Improved Player.  Senior Edgar Destouet was named ITA Senior Player of the Year and senior Boruch Skierkier was named ITA Player to Watch. 
 
Hansen earned GSC Coach of the Year honors this season as VSU for the 15^th time in his 50-plus year career of coaching at VSU.  It also was his third league Coach of the Year honor in the last five seasons.  Last month, Hansen was announced as a member of the GSC Hall Fame Class of 2025.  Hansen's induction marks the seventh-straight class of a Blazer being enshrined into the Hall of Fame, with Marti Littlefield (softball) in 2018, Dusty Bonner (football) in 2019, Morgan Faulk (softball) in 2020, Briny Baird (men's golf) in 2022, Kenny Moore II (football) and Courtney Albritton Johnson (softball) in 2023, retired Director of Athletics Herb Reinhard in 2024 and now Hansen in 2025.  
 
Former VSU baseball coach Tommy Thomas was inducted in 2015 and former Blazer quarterback and head coach Chris Hatcher was enshrined in the inaugural class in 2014 for ten total Blazers now in the GSC Hall of Fame.
 
Mack finished an outstanding career for the red and black last season and took over as the graduate assistant coach of the men's program this season.  Mack earned the national Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award in 2023. 
 
Taco earned first team all-league honors this season and is second nationally in singles and eighth in doubles this season.  He earned GSC Top Ten honors this season and finalist for the Commissioner's Trophy, while he was named the VSU Male Student-Athlete of the Year.  Taco won the ITA Fall Regional title and ITA Fall National Championship in 2024. 
 
Doitteau earned GSC Freshman of the Year honors this season and earned multiple GSC Freshman of the Week accolades in 2025.  Skerbatis really came on this season as he is 10-2 this spring and went 4-2 in GSC play and earned second team all-league accolades.  Destouet made an immediate impact this year at the No. 3 spot in the singles lineup earning first team all-league honors as he is 20^th nationally in singles and eight in doubles with teammate Arthur Bord.  Skierkier earned GSC All-First Team honors this season as he is third nationally in singles in 2025.