NCAA Bound Bears Dominate Little East Postseason Awards

By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University men's tennis team swept the four major Little East Conference awards during a championship season this spring.

In addition, the Bears placed three singles players and two doubles teams on the all-conference first team while one singles player and a doubles team made the All-Little East second team.

Freshman Will Horton (Lakeville, Mass.) was chosen the conference's Singles Player of the Year and the Rookie of the Year.

Horton is the first member of the BSU program to earn the Singles Player of the Year honor and the fourth to win the Rookie of the Year award.

The duo of senior Adam Beatrice (Rockland, Mass.) and junior Khiem Nguyen (Burlington, Vt.) was selected the Doubles Team of the Year.

David Purpura was named the Little East Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons.

Earning spots on the all-conference first team in singles are Horton, Beatrice and junior Tom Ayson (Plymouth, Mass.) while the doubles teams of Beatrice and Nguyen and Horton and senior Ryan Hebert (Taunton, Mass.) also made the first team.

Receiving second-team honors in singles is Nguyen while the doubles team of Ayson and junior Anthony Lucas (Weymouth, Mass.) were chosen to the second team. Lucas was also named to the Sportsmanship Team. 

BSU went 6-0 in the Little East and defeated Western Connecticut State University and Rhode Island College in the tournament for the championship.

The Bears are 12-4 with 10 straight wins going into the NCAA Division III tournament. BSU plays No. 24 Skidmore College in Brunswick, Maine Friday at 3 p.m.

Horton has been the Bears' No. 1 singles player throughout his debut season.

He is 10-4 overall and went 5-1 in the Little East, losing only to UMass Boston sophomore Dominik Dwyer (Dedham, Mass.), 6-7 (8-10), 4-6. Horton did not lose a set against any other conference opponent.

Horton is the fourth BSU Rookie of the Year in the Little East, joining Robby Cooney (2024), Beatrice (2023) and Matt Mailhot (2010).

Beatrice and Nguyen play No. 1 doubles and went 5-1 in the conference and take a 9-6 record into the NCAAs. They also made the All-Little East team in 2025.

Purpura also won the Coach of the Year honor in 2024 when the Bears won the championship for the first time and reached the NCAA tourney for the initial time.

BSU's 12 victories equal the second-highest total in program history. The 1978-79 team, which played a split season, went 9-1 in the fall and 6-0 in the spring to hold the record for most wins.

Purpura, who is also the BSU women's coach, is only the second Bears men's coach to win the award twice.

Beatrice, who plays at No. 2 singles, was 4-1 in the Little East and is 7-7 overall.

This is the fourth consecutive season that Beatrice has made the first team in singles.

Ayson has an 8-4 record and went 6-0 in the Little East. He lost just two sets to conference opponents.

Ayson was 6-1 at No. 4 singles after going 2-3 at Nos. 2 and 3. Ayson made the second team as a sophomore.

Nguyen plays at No. 3 singles and is 8-4, including 5-1 in the Little East.

Horton and Hebert, a captain, own a 10-3 record at No. 2 doubles and went 6-0 in the Little East.

Ayson and Lucas, who also made the all-conference team in doubles in 2025, are 8-4 at No. 3 singles and had a 5-1 record in the Little East.

2026 Little East Conference Men's Tennis Award Winners (PDF)