Women's Tennis | May 18

DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University women's tennis team had all six eligible student-athletes qualify for the Academic All Mid-American Conference team, the league announced today. Irmak Budak, Jenna Horne, Theodora Kousiou, Nataly Ninova, Isabella Righi and Lucia Yecora were all recognized, giving NIU the second most selections.

To qualify, student-athletes must maintain at least a 3.20 GPA and participate in at least 50 percent of matches. First-year students and first-year transfers are not eligible.

Horne and Righi each earned their third consecutive Academic All-MAC honors while fellow senior Ninova received her second straight. The outgoing senior class helped NIU record 67 team wins, qualify for back-to-back postseason tournaments and combined for over 400 wins during their careers.

A trio of sophomores each received their first selections in Budak, Kousiou and Yecora. Budak earned Second Team All-MAC honors earlier this spring.

Righi held the highest cumulative GPA of the group with a 3.907 in Biomedical Engineering. The 2025-26 team had a combined GPA of 3.528.

NIU Academic All-MAC Selections
Irmak Budak, Sophomore, Psychology, 3.349
Jenna Horne, Senior, Finance, 3.355 (2024, 2025)
Theodora Kousiou, Sophomore, Kinesiology, 3.652
Nataly Ninova, Senior Manufacturing Engineering Technology, 3.41 (2025)
Isabella Righi, Senior, Biomedical Engineering, 3.907 (2024, 2025)
Lucia Yecora, Sophomore, Kinesiology, 3.415