MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced its All-American selections on April 28 after a spring championship season cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the 23 individuals named an ITA DII Men's Singles All-American was Mulerider sophomore Marko Nikoliuk, while the SAU Doubles team of sophomore Yuri Gondouin and senior Aleksandr Pokusaev were named an ITA DII Men's Doubles All-American.
 
The trio becomes the first Division II All-Americans for the Muleriders in the program's young Division II Era (1995-96). They are the first men's tennis players to receive the sports' top honor since Paolo Pezzoli earned NAIA All-America honors in 1989.
 
Despite a spring semester cut short with the Muleriders owning a 5-2 record overall and a 2-0 mark in MIAA/GAC play, Nikoliuk's 2019-20 campaign was one to remember as the Kakhovka, Ukraine, native advanced to the final of the ITA Oklahoma City Regional in early October and earned an at-large bid for the ITA Cup in Rome, Georgia.
 
His road to the final of the ITA Regional event saw the six-foot, three-inch second-year player advance through five opponents including four from the Great American Conference before falling in three sets in the finals. In his first round matchup at the ITA Cup, Nikoliuk knocked off fellow All-American and No. 11 ranked Serdar Bojadjiev of West Florida 6-2, 6-4, before falling to a pair of top eight nationally ranked players in No. 2 Alvaro Regalado of Columbus State and No. 8 Dario Huber of UIndy; both of which are 2019-20 Division II ITA All-Americans.
 
In the final Oracle/ITA Division II Men's Individual Rankings released on April 15, Nikoliuk checked in at No. 9 in the Central Region. He finished the spring at 3-3 with two three-set losses. On February 27, Nikoliuk earned the program's first ever MIAA/GAC South Division Player of the Week honor after he topped Southwest Baptist's David Szeri, the No. 8 ranked player in the Midwest Region, 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (7-3) at singles #2. Nikoliuk teamed up with classmate Yuri Gondouin to defeat SBU's Adham Gaber and Youssef Nabil 7-5 at doubles #2. His efforts helped Southern Arkansas knock off the #13 ranked Bearcats 4-1; the highest ranked opponent defeated by the Muleriders' in the program's short NCAA history.
 
The doubles team of Gondouin and Pokusaev joined Nikoliuk at the ITA Cup after the duo advanced to the doubles title match at the ITA Oklahoma City Regional. The pair won four matches, including its final two over Southeastern Oklahoma State foes, before falling 5-7, 4-6 to fellow DII ITA All-Americans Andrea Zamurri and Fabien Calloud of Northwest Missouri State.
 
At the ITA Cup, Gondouin and Pokusaev rallied to top fellow doubles All-Americans Tobias Lentz and Michele Fenoaltea of Concordia College (NY) 3-6, 7-5, 1-0 (9), before falling in a pair of tight matches to ITA doubles All-Americans Axel Cronje and Adam Elliget of Lander (4-6, 6-7 (5)) and Daniel Belsito and Josep Canyadell of Wingate (7-6 (3), 2-6, 0-1 (2)).
 
Selection Criteria (Altered for 2019-20 selections)
*2019 ITA Regional Singles and/or Doubles Champion from all 8 regions
*First round Singles and/or Doubles winners from 2019 ITA Cup. Must've won the first round advancing to the quarterfinals NOT a consolation round. 
*Top 10 Doubles Ranking from unpublished computerized double run of the Oracle ITA Rankings (using 4 countable wins). Doubles teams in the top 10 unpublished computerized double run need a minimum of 5 matches together this fall and/or spring against any division, regardless of whether or not the match finished to be a DII All-American.
*Top 20 Singles Ranking from unpublished computerized double run of the Oracle ITA Rankings (using 6 countable wins).
 
Men's Singles
Ignacio Bidegain, Anderson Univ., South Carolina
Samuel Sippel, Azusa Pacific Univ.
Alejandro Ibanez Gallego, Barry Univ.
Alessandro Giuliato, Barry Univ.
Tom Schmieta, Bluefield State College
Alvaro Regalado, Columbus State Univ.
Sylvain Garin-Marchaud, Drury Univ.
Luca Bolla, Flagler (Fla.)
Benjamin Loccisano, Hawaii Pacific Univ.
Angel Palacios, Midwestern State Univ.
Bruno Suiama, Oklahoma Baptist
Juan Scoppetta, Southeastern Oklahoma State
Manuel Pilotto, Southeastern Oklahoma State
Marko Nikoliuk, Southern Arkansas Univ.
Willem Van Biezen, Southern New Hampshire Univ.
Adham Gaber, Southwest Baptist
Anish Sriniketh, St. Edwards Univ.
Chase Bartlett, St. Edwards Univ.
Martin Soukal, Univ. of Hawaii, Hilo
Dario Huber, Univ. of Indianapolis
Serdar Bojadjiev, Univ. of West Florida
Yohan Nguyen, Valdosta State Univ.
Daniel Belsito, Wingate Univ.
 
Men's Doubles
Jesse Haas, Azusa Pacific Univ.
Leyton Bohren, Azusa Pacific Univ.
Alvaro Regalado, Columbus State Univ.
Matei Avram, Columbus State Univ.
Javi Cueto Ramos, Columbus State Univ.
Michele Fenoaltea, Concordia College (NY)
Tobias Lentz, Concordia College (NY)
Matej Panik, Hawaii Pacific Univ.
Ondrej Ctverak, Hawaii Pacific Univ.
Axel Cronje, Lander Univ.
Adam Elliget, Lander Univ.
Andrea Zamurri, Northwest Missouri State
Fabien Calloud, Northwest Missouri State
Yuri Gondouin, Southern Arkansas Univ.
Aleksandr Pokusaev, Southern Arkansas Univ.
Anish Sriniketh, St. Edwards Univ.
Chase Bartlett, St. Edwards Univ.
Jesse Wikso, St. Edwards Univ.
Abhimanyu Ramireddy, St. Edwards Univ.
Jeremiah Gonzalez, St. Mary's Univ. (Texas)
Brendan Brown, St. Mary's Univ. (Texas)
Ben Lakeman, Univ. of Charleston (West Virginia)
Joao Tayar, Univ. of Charleston (West Virginia)
Dario Huber, Univ. of Indianapolis
Renato Lima, Univ. of Indianapolis
Ilari Vesanen, Univ. of West Alabama
Chris Bulus, Univ. of West Alabama
Yohan Nguyen, Valdosta State Univ.
Florian Simbozel, Valdosta State Univ.
Daniel Belsito, Wingate Univ.
Josep Canyadell Fabregas, Wingate Univ.