Lake Forest College men's tennis player Daniel Tulchinskiy was announced as the 2024-25 Midwest Conference Athlete of the Year Representing Men's and Mixed Sports on Friday.
The award honors graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service, and leadership.
In addition, Tulchinskiy will also be the MWC's nominee for the Division III Commissioners Association Men's Sport Student-Athlete of the Year Award, which recognizes student-athletes for the same accomplishments and attributes as the conference award. The DIIICA will announce its regional selections later this month and the national winners in early September.
Tulchinskiy was the MWC Newcomer of the Year and a conference champion at #1 doubles as a freshman, earned Second Team All-MWC honors at #2 singles as a sophomore, and was voted All-MWC in doubles each of the last two seasons. He finished his career ranked second in program history with 68 doubles victories and seventh with 105 wins overall. In conference matches he was 38-8 in singles and doubles combined.
Successful in the classroom as well, Tulchinskiy was an Academic All-District® selection by College Sports Communicators each of the last three seasons and is a four-time Academic All-MWC honoree and Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar Athlete. The double-major in neuroscience and biology was inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society and earned the College's Fredericka L. Stahl Memorial Award for Excellence in Science.
Tulchinskiy has also been involved in numerous activities on campus and in the community. Among them are volunteering with Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association and in the Emergency Department, as well as serving as a research assistant and teacher assistant on multiple occasions. He has also served and taken on leadership positions on committees and in organizations on campus.
"Daniel has been an exemplary student-athlete throughout his collegiate career," began Forester Head Men's Tennis Coach Scot Reinhart. "He has excelled on the court, in the classroom, and in the community and taken on leadership roles in every endeavor. He is extremely deserving of this award."
Tulchinskiy is the second Forester to be named MWC Athlete of the Year Representing Men's and Mixed Sports, joining soccer player Joao Godoy, who was the first recipient of the award in 2021. Lake Forest has also had six student-athletes earn the honor on the women's side. Volleyball player Mary Gegen was the winner a year ago and she joined softball players Josie Klein (2022) and Jenny McTague (2017), soccer players Michelle Greeneway (2016) and Becky Esrock (2014), and swimmer Becky Shaak (2013).
