BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — Three Wagner men's tennis players found their names among the NEC award winners, the conference announced on Friday.
Sophomore
Eddie Schmidt headlined the group by winning NEC Player of the Year, the first time any Seahawk has won the award. Throughout the season as Wagner's primary first singles player, Schmidt won 14 of his 19 matches, giving him a conference-best .737 winning percentage.
The Ludwigsburg, Germany native also earned spots on the All-NEC first team in both singles and doubles, becoming the first Seahawk since Anatoliy Lashkul in 2018 to earn nods on both teams. This is the second straight year that Schmidt has earned All-NEC honors, as he was on the All-Rookie team last season.
Redshirt freshman
Lukas Escher also helped make history, becoming the first Wagner player to win NEC Rookie of the Year. Escher led all second singles players in the conference with 15 wins and an .833 winning percentage in 2026.
He joined his doubles partner Schmidt on the All-NEC first doubles team, making the pair the first ever Seahawks to earn spots on the first team in both singles and doubles. Escher also earned a place on the NEC All-Rookie team, making it two consecutive seasons with an All-Rookie performer (Schmidt).
Lastly, graduate student
Tom Lamers earned a spot on the All-NEC second team in singles. His 10 match wins on court 3 were the most among NEC players with at least six decisions.
In total, Schmidt, Escher, and Lamers combined to earn places on four different All-NEC teams, the most since 2018.
