Stavrakas, Tahirovic Earn ITA Regional Honors
6/10/2025 11:47:00 AM | Men's Tennis
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell men's tennis juniors Amar Tahirovic and Adam Stavrakas added to their impressive awards collection on Tuesday when both were recognized with regional honors from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). Tahirovic was named the ITA Northeast Region Player to Watch, while Stavrakas was selected as the Most Improved Player.
After leading the Bison to a Patriot League championship and the first team NCAA Tournament appearance in program history this spring, Tahirovic earned Patriot League Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. Stavrakas joined him on the All-Patriot League First Team and Academic All-Patriot League Team, and he was also named PL Tournament MVP after Bucknell recorded its first-ever victory over Navy in the championship match.
Tahirovic, who finished the year ranked No. 87 nationally and No. 7 regionally in the ITA singles listings, also received the Bison Club Award as Bucknell's most outstanding athlete from all sports in 2024-25. He has earned First Team All-Patriot League honors in each of his first three seasons at Bucknell. The Stuttgart, Germany native went 33-3 in singles this season, including an unblemished record against Patriot League foes. His only three losses were to Penn State's No. 1 player Loren Byers at the ITA Regionals in the fall; to Notre Dame's Sebastian Dominko in the quarterfinals of the ITA Conference Masters; and to the No. 1 ranked player in Division III, Advik Mareedu of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. He avenged that loss to Byers with a three-set win in the Bucknell-Penn State dual match on Jan. 26.
At the NCAA Championship at Virginia, Tahirovic dropped his first set to fourth-ranked Rafael Jodar but then had a set point in the second set when the Cavaliers clinched the victory. Earlier in the Day, Tahirovic and Brendan McDonald had a 5-2 lead over the No. 23 pair of Keegan Rice and James Hopper when the doubles point was clinched.
Tahirovic was dominant in the Patriot League Tournament, winning his three No. 1 singles matches in straight sets with only seven games conceded. He had not dropped a set since March 11 at Elon until facing Jodar, the reigning U.S. Open Junior champion and ACC Rookie of the Year, in Charlottesville.
With a career singles record of 83-18, Tahirovic ranks second to Bybel (112) on Bucknell's all-time list. His 68 career doubles wins are tied for ninth-most in team history, and his 151 combined wins are third-most behind Bybel (192) and Josh Katten (155).
Tahirovic and Stavrakas formed a potent 1-2 punch at the top of the Bison lineup, as neither lost a match in Patriot League play. Stavrakas finished 35-3 on the season with a 24-match winning streak that will carry over into next season. At the NCAA match at Virginia, he took the second set from Rice and was 2-all in the third when the match was clinched.
Stavrakas went 24-0 in spring dual matches, including a 9-0 mark against Patriot League foes, and he finished the campaign ranked No. 11 in the Northeast Region. In his three Patriot League Tournament wins, he allowed more than one game in only one of the six sets, and he earned the Joe Abrahamson Award as the PL Tournament MVP. Stavrakas' 35 singles wins were second-most in a season behind only Bybel's 38.
Bucknell finished the season with a 19-7 record, tying the school mark for wins in a season, and the Bison finished the year ranked No. 7 in the Northeast Region by the ITA. In addition to the postseason honors for Tahirovic and Stavrakas, head coach Jason Cohen was selected as the 2025 Patriot League Coach of the Year.
After leading the Bison to a Patriot League championship and the first team NCAA Tournament appearance in program history this spring, Tahirovic earned Patriot League Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. Stavrakas joined him on the All-Patriot League First Team and Academic All-Patriot League Team, and he was also named PL Tournament MVP after Bucknell recorded its first-ever victory over Navy in the championship match.
Tahirovic, who finished the year ranked No. 87 nationally and No. 7 regionally in the ITA singles listings, also received the Bison Club Award as Bucknell's most outstanding athlete from all sports in 2024-25. He has earned First Team All-Patriot League honors in each of his first three seasons at Bucknell. The Stuttgart, Germany native went 33-3 in singles this season, including an unblemished record against Patriot League foes. His only three losses were to Penn State's No. 1 player Loren Byers at the ITA Regionals in the fall; to Notre Dame's Sebastian Dominko in the quarterfinals of the ITA Conference Masters; and to the No. 1 ranked player in Division III, Advik Mareedu of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. He avenged that loss to Byers with a three-set win in the Bucknell-Penn State dual match on Jan. 26.
At the NCAA Championship at Virginia, Tahirovic dropped his first set to fourth-ranked Rafael Jodar but then had a set point in the second set when the Cavaliers clinched the victory. Earlier in the Day, Tahirovic and Brendan McDonald had a 5-2 lead over the No. 23 pair of Keegan Rice and James Hopper when the doubles point was clinched.
Tahirovic was dominant in the Patriot League Tournament, winning his three No. 1 singles matches in straight sets with only seven games conceded. He had not dropped a set since March 11 at Elon until facing Jodar, the reigning U.S. Open Junior champion and ACC Rookie of the Year, in Charlottesville.
With a career singles record of 83-18, Tahirovic ranks second to Bybel (112) on Bucknell's all-time list. His 68 career doubles wins are tied for ninth-most in team history, and his 151 combined wins are third-most behind Bybel (192) and Josh Katten (155).
Tahirovic and Stavrakas formed a potent 1-2 punch at the top of the Bison lineup, as neither lost a match in Patriot League play. Stavrakas finished 35-3 on the season with a 24-match winning streak that will carry over into next season. At the NCAA match at Virginia, he took the second set from Rice and was 2-all in the third when the match was clinched.
Stavrakas went 24-0 in spring dual matches, including a 9-0 mark against Patriot League foes, and he finished the campaign ranked No. 11 in the Northeast Region. In his three Patriot League Tournament wins, he allowed more than one game in only one of the six sets, and he earned the Joe Abrahamson Award as the PL Tournament MVP. Stavrakas' 35 singles wins were second-most in a season behind only Bybel's 38.
Bucknell finished the season with a 19-7 record, tying the school mark for wins in a season, and the Bison finished the year ranked No. 7 in the Northeast Region by the ITA. In addition to the postseason honors for Tahirovic and Stavrakas, head coach Jason Cohen was selected as the 2025 Patriot League Coach of the Year.
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