BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Bucknell junior Amar Tahirovic and senior Whitney King were named the 2025 Patriot League Men’s and Women’s Tennis Scholar-Athletes of the Year, as announced by the League office on Friday.
Tahirovic was one of two Bucknell student-athletes named to the 2025 Patriot League Men’s Tennis Academic All-League Team. Army West Point, Colgate, Lehigh and Navy each had one representative.
Six institutions were represented on the 2025 Patriot League Women’s Tennis Academic All-League Team, with Army West Point, Boston University, Bucknell, Lafayette, Lehigh and Loyola Maryland each earning one selection.
On the men’s side, Bucknell’s Tahirovic and Colgate’s Josh Israel were named to the Academic All-League Team for the second straight season. On the women’s side, Bucknell’s King and Lafayette senior Olivia Boeckman were honored as three-time selections.
To be eligible for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and the Academic All-Patriot League Team, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average and be a starter or key player in his/her sport. Freshmen or students in their first academic year at their school are not eligible for the honor.
The selection process was conducted by the League’s men’s tennis sports information directors, who could not vote for their student-athletes.
The Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year winner for each sport comprises the pool of nominees for the Patriot League Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards given out over the summer. One male and one female are selected for the honors.
2025 Patriot League Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Amar Tahirovic, Bucknell, Jr., Stuttgart, Germany/ Stuttgart
*Tahirovic was named the 2025 Patriot League Player of the Year after leading Bucknell to its first League title since 1991. He went 22-1 in dual matches and 9-0 in League play at No. 1 singles.
*The junior is a three-time All-Patriot League First Team selection and was ranked as high as No. 84 nationally in singles in the ITA rankings.
*Tahirovic is a Dean’s List student majoring in business analytics and German, and a recipient of both the Charles F. White Prize for Student-Athletes and the Bison Club Award.
*Tahirovic holds a 3.53 GPA in Business Analytics and German and serves as team captain and is a member of the Bucknell Athletics Leadership Institute.
2025 Patriot League Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Whitney King, Bucknell, Sr., Sarasota, Fla./ IMG Academy
*King is a Marketing, Innovation & Design major with a 3.91 GPA while being social media intern for the Inspiring Children Foundation.
*In her time at Bucknell, King founded The Faithful One, a small business focused on building community and mentorship through faith.
*King is a three-time First Team All-Patriot League selection. She posted a 15-7 record at No. 1 singles and an 18-8 mark at No. 1 doubles during the 2025 season.
*The senior ranks fourth all-time in Bucknell history with 79 career doubles wins, seventh in combined wins (141) and ninth in singles wins (62).
2025 Men’s Tennis Scholar Athlete- Amar Tahirovic, Bucknell
2025 Men’s Tennis Academic All-League
Alan Ton, Army West Point
Amar Tahirovic, Bucknell
Adam Stavrakas, Bucknell
Josh Israel, Colgate
Marc Blekhman, Lehigh
Aniketh Ayinala, Navy
2025 Women’s Tennis Scholar Athlete- Whitney King, Bucknell
2025 Women’s Tennis Academic All-League
Ylan Duong, Army West Point
Nina Gulbransen, Boston University
Whitney King, Bucknell
Olivia Boeckman, Lafayette
Hamsa Javagal, Lehigh
Lauren Manwiller, Loyola Maryland
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions.