St. John's University Athletics
St. John’s Named BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year; Four Johnnies Earn All-BIG EAST Honors
5/1/2025 2:30:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Max Amling and Carl Gustavsson earned first-team honors; Ryota Kaneda and Leonardo Mileikowsky tabbed to the second team
NEW YORK – The St. John's men's tennis coaching staff was named BIG EAST Staff of the Year, while Max Amling, Carl Gustavsson, Ryota Kaneda and Leonardo Mileikowsky were all tabbed to the all-conference teams, the BIG EAST announced on Thursday.
Amling and Gustavsson were unanimously selected to the first team. Kaneda and Mileikowsky earned second-team honors.
Head Coach Dillon Pottish led the Johnnies to a 25-2 record, a 4-0 regular season BIG EAST mark, the program's eighth conference tournament championship and the Red Storm's sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. This is the second time in the past three seasons and the third time in his six-year tenure that Pottish and his assistants have earned staff of the year honors. The Red Storm's coaching staff includes assistant coaches Carlos Madlonado and Brenden Volk, and student manager Brandan Roldan.
Amling takes first team honors in his first campaign at St. John's, playing to 29 wins this season, all on the No. 1 court. The junior earned a 15-6 solo mark along with a 14-9 doubles record. 18 of his partner matches came alongside last year's BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, Armando Sotelo. In the Red Storm's BIG EAST Tournament run, Amling earned three total victories, including a doubles triumph in the tournament clincher on April 20 against Creighton.
Gustavsson appears unanimously on the first team for the third year in a row and has been named to an All-BIG EAST Team in each of his four seasons with the Johnnies. The Stockholm, Sweden product went 14-5 in singles play, the third straight season he hit the 14-win mark, and earned eight doubles victories.
The senior has not lost in singles action since April 15, winning seven straight decisions. He helped the Red Storm in last week's conference tournament, taking a match each day, earning the second championship of his career.
Kaneda is named an All-BIG EAST honoree for the second straight year after taking second team recognition in 2024. The Fukuoka, Japan native dominated this season, going 18-1 in singles play and 18-1 in doubles action. 17 of Kaneda's 18 partner triumphs came alongside Adam Groves. His 36 combined wins in 2025 are the most by a player in a single season in program history.
Mileikowsky finished just behind Kaneda, earning 17 solo victories, picking up his first All-BIG EAST honor. The senior from Brussels also teamed up with Igancio Vinas to win six contests in partner play. In his second year in Queens, Mileikowsky was tabbed the BIG EAST Singles Player of the Week on Feb. 3 and won two BIG EAST Tournament singles contests, including picking up the match-clinching fourth point in the championship against Creighton.
This is the second consecutive season St. John's has had four student-athletes represented on the postseason all-conference teams. Prior to 2023, the program hadn't had four representatives since 2019, when it sent five to the all-BIG EAST teams.
The Red Storm will play in its second NCAA Tournament appearance in the past three years on Saturday, taking on Princeton at 10 a.m. in Charlottesville, Va. The winner of Saturday's round of 64 matchup will face either Bucknell or Virginia on Sunday at 1 p.m.
BIG EAST Tennis Major Awards and All-Conference
BIG EAST Player of the Year: Alejandro Gandini, Creighton
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year: Andy Hadziabdic, DePaul
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year: St. John's
All-BIG EAST First Team
Patrick Joss, Butler*
Alejandro Gandini, Creighton*
Matteo Iaquinto, DePaul*
Jake Fellows, Georgetown*
Max Amling, St. John's*
Carl Gustavsson, St. John's*
*denotes unanimous selection
All-BIG EAST Second Team
Yuma Daijima, Creighton*
Andy Hadziabdic, DePaul
Arthur O'Sullivan, Georgetown*
Blake Roegner, Marquette
Ryota Kaneda, St. John's
Leonardo Mileikowsky, St. John's
*denotes unanimous selection
Amling and Gustavsson were unanimously selected to the first team. Kaneda and Mileikowsky earned second-team honors.
Head Coach Dillon Pottish led the Johnnies to a 25-2 record, a 4-0 regular season BIG EAST mark, the program's eighth conference tournament championship and the Red Storm's sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. This is the second time in the past three seasons and the third time in his six-year tenure that Pottish and his assistants have earned staff of the year honors. The Red Storm's coaching staff includes assistant coaches Carlos Madlonado and Brenden Volk, and student manager Brandan Roldan.
Amling takes first team honors in his first campaign at St. John's, playing to 29 wins this season, all on the No. 1 court. The junior earned a 15-6 solo mark along with a 14-9 doubles record. 18 of his partner matches came alongside last year's BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, Armando Sotelo. In the Red Storm's BIG EAST Tournament run, Amling earned three total victories, including a doubles triumph in the tournament clincher on April 20 against Creighton.
Gustavsson appears unanimously on the first team for the third year in a row and has been named to an All-BIG EAST Team in each of his four seasons with the Johnnies. The Stockholm, Sweden product went 14-5 in singles play, the third straight season he hit the 14-win mark, and earned eight doubles victories.
The senior has not lost in singles action since April 15, winning seven straight decisions. He helped the Red Storm in last week's conference tournament, taking a match each day, earning the second championship of his career.
Kaneda is named an All-BIG EAST honoree for the second straight year after taking second team recognition in 2024. The Fukuoka, Japan native dominated this season, going 18-1 in singles play and 18-1 in doubles action. 17 of Kaneda's 18 partner triumphs came alongside Adam Groves. His 36 combined wins in 2025 are the most by a player in a single season in program history.
Mileikowsky finished just behind Kaneda, earning 17 solo victories, picking up his first All-BIG EAST honor. The senior from Brussels also teamed up with Igancio Vinas to win six contests in partner play. In his second year in Queens, Mileikowsky was tabbed the BIG EAST Singles Player of the Week on Feb. 3 and won two BIG EAST Tournament singles contests, including picking up the match-clinching fourth point in the championship against Creighton.
This is the second consecutive season St. John's has had four student-athletes represented on the postseason all-conference teams. Prior to 2023, the program hadn't had four representatives since 2019, when it sent five to the all-BIG EAST teams.
The Red Storm will play in its second NCAA Tournament appearance in the past three years on Saturday, taking on Princeton at 10 a.m. in Charlottesville, Va. The winner of Saturday's round of 64 matchup will face either Bucknell or Virginia on Sunday at 1 p.m.
BIG EAST Tennis Major Awards and All-Conference
BIG EAST Player of the Year: Alejandro Gandini, Creighton
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year: Andy Hadziabdic, DePaul
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year: St. John's
All-BIG EAST First Team
Patrick Joss, Butler*
Alejandro Gandini, Creighton*
Matteo Iaquinto, DePaul*
Jake Fellows, Georgetown*
Max Amling, St. John's*
Carl Gustavsson, St. John's*
*denotes unanimous selection
All-BIG EAST Second Team
Yuma Daijima, Creighton*
Andy Hadziabdic, DePaul
Arthur O'Sullivan, Georgetown*
Blake Roegner, Marquette
Ryota Kaneda, St. John's
Leonardo Mileikowsky, St. John's
*denotes unanimous selection
Players Mentioned
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Men's Tennis NCAA Selection Show
Tuesday, April 30