In the world of collegiate athletics, the "student" half of the student-athlete title is often just as demanding as the "athlete" half. On May 12, 2026, the College Sports Communicators (CSC) recognized two individuals who have mastered this balancing act: Eastern Michigan University’s Iva Daneva and Regina Mendez Carreño. By earning CSC Academic All-District honors, these two Eagles have solidified their places among the elite in NCAA Division I women's tennis, proving that success in Ypsilanti is measured both by points on the scoreboard and points in the gradebook.
A national standard of excellence
The CSC Academic All-District award is not a participation trophy; it is a rigorous certification of excellence. To even be considered, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore both academically and athletically. Furthermore, the academic bar is set high, requiring a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50.
On the court, the requirements are equally taxing. Honorees must have competed in at least 75 percent of their team’s spring schedule for the year. In a season as grueling as the 2025-26 campaign, maintaining those standards is a testament to the discipline of Daneva and Mendez Carreño. They were among only 534 student-athletes recognized across the entire nation for Division I women’s tennis this year.
Iva Daneva: Overcoming adversity on the court
For sophomore Iva Daneva, a native of Kavadarci, North Macedonia, this honor is a milestone in a journey defined by resilience. Daneva’s freshman season was tragically cut short due to an injury, making her return to the courts for the 2025-26 season a narrative of comeback and grit.
Despite the physical hurdles, Daneva posted a 9-12 combined record for the season. While her singles play faced challenges, she became a formidable force in doubles action, finishing with a 9-9 record. Much of this success came alongside Mendez Carreño; the duo paired together from the start of the spring season and immediately made an impact by winning their first two matches and clinching the doubles point for the Eagles.
Daneva’s versatility was also on display when she paired with the MAC Freshman of the Year, Cylova Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya. Together, they went 1-1 in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play, including a high-stakes 7-6(4) decision in the season finale. Her ability to maintain a 3.50 GPA while reclaiming her spot in the rotation after a major injury exemplifies the "Eagle" spirit.
Regina Mendez Carreño: A senior season for the record books
While Daneva represents the future of the program, senior Regina Mendez Carreño from Los Cabos, Mexico, left an indelible mark in her final year. Mendez Carreño was a workhorse for EMU, competing in 56 combined matches: 28 singles and 28 doubles, during the 2025-26 season alone. To put that volume in perspective, she played 65 total matches across her first three years combined.
Mendez Carreño’s senior surge resulted in 20 total wins, tying her career high in singles with 12 victories. Perhaps most impressive was her growth in doubles play; her eight wins this season more than doubled the seven victories she had accumulated in all her previous years combined.
Her conference play was equally historic for her personal career. She secured her first MAC singles win with a dominant 6-3, 6-2 victory over Northern Illinois University’s Isabella Righi. Additionally, she notched two doubles wins against MAC opponents, a significant milestone considering she had not appeared in a conference doubles match during her first three seasons in Ypsilanti.
Building a culture of success in Ypsilanti
The recognition of Daneva and Mendez Carreño is not just a personal victory; it is a milestone for the Eastern Michigan University tennis program. The duo became the seventh and eighth members in the program's history to receive academic accolades from the CSC. This brings the program’s total to 10 all-district honors.
They join an esteemed list of Eagles who have balanced high-level tennis with academic rigor, including recent multi-year winners like Sabina Brichackova (2024, 2025) and Prerna Vichare (2022, 2025). Since tennis moved into its own award category in 2022-23, previously part of the "at-large" pool, EMU has consistently seen its athletes rise to the top of the district rankings.
As the 2025-26 season concludes with these honors, the message from the Ypsilanti courts is clear: the Eagles are committed to producing champions who can win the final set and ace the final exam.
