Wayne State University Athletics

Women's Tennis 4/23/2026 2:50:00 PM Henry Coyle, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Five Women's Tennis Student-Athletes Earn All-GLIAC Honors

DETROIT -- The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) announced its women's tennis all-conference honorees, with five Wayne State University student-athletes earning distinctions.

Earning All-GLIAC First Team honors in singles were seniors Malak Arafat (Alexandria, Egypt / Lycée Français d'Alexandrie) and Martyna Szpakowska (Gdansk, Poland / Sopocka Akademia Tenisowa). Szpakowska and Justine Beaulieu (Montreal, Que. / Collège de Montréal High School) garnered All-GLIAC First Team recognition in doubles. Freshman Selin Kayakent (Bursa, Turkey / Bilfen Anatolian) was tabbed as an All-GLIAC Second Team recipient in singles, while Rebecca Laynes (Saginaw, Mich. / Heritage) was tabbed as an All-GLIAC Honorable Mention.

Arafat has been voted All-GLIAC in each of her four years with the Warriors, including the last three on the All-GLIAC First Team. This year, the senior tallied a 17-8 record, that included a 9-5 ledger at the No. 1 singles spot, and a 5-2 ledger in the GLIAC. Arafat earned GLIAC Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week honors once this season, after helping the squad to wins over Saginaw Valley State and Hillsdale. Her 90 total singles wins in her career rank second all-time in WSU women's tennis history, while her singles winning percentage of .744 ranks 16th.

Szpakowska earns a First-Team distinction for the first time in her career, after being named to the second team during her sophomore season and receiving honorable-mention recognition during her freshman campaign. The senior finished this season with a 15-3 record, with a 10-3 ledger at the No. 2 position, and a flawless 7-0 mark in GLIAC action. Szpakowska garnered GLIAC Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week recognition once, after assisting WSU to a pair of wins over UIndy and Michigan Tech.

Beaulieu and Szpakowska posted a 14-2 record together, including an unblemished 7-0 record within the conference. The pair has won its last nine matches and posted an 11-1 record at the top singles flight during the spring portion of the campaign. In total, Szpakowska has won 93 doubles matches in her career, which ranks fourth all-time for Wayne State. Through her three seasons, Beaulieu has won 49 doubles matches, which is tied-for-19th all time.

Freshman Kayakent impressed in her rookie campaign with the Green and Gold, collecting an 11-11 mark, including an 8-5 record at the No. 3 singles position as well as a 5-2 GLIAC ledger.

Laynes garners an honorable-mention nod in her first season with WSU, primarily competing in the No. 6 singles slot. She earned a pair of wins in singles over Michigan Tech and Roosevelt.

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Players Mentioned

Malak Arafat: 5' 11"; Senior

Justine Beaulieu: 5' 6"; Junior

Selin Kayakent: 5' 7"; Freshman

Martyna Szpakowska: 5' 9"; Senior

Rebecca Laynes: 5' 4"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Malak Arafat
: 5' 11"; Senior

Justine Beaulieu
: 5' 6"; Junior

Selin Kayakent
: 5' 7"; Freshman

Martyna Szpakowska
: 5' 9"; Senior

Rebecca Laynes
: 5' 4"; Freshman