Women's Tennis All-NESCAC Selections Announced
Shoemaker of Williams Named Player of the
Year
HADLEY, Mass. - Williams
senior Kara Shoemaker (Princeton, N.J.) has
been chosen by the conference coaches as the NESCAC Player of the
Year. Shoemaker went 25-5 and 28-8 at the No. 1 singles and doubles
positions, respectively, to help the Ephs secure the second seed in
the conference tournament and reach the NESCAC championship match.
She is the third Williams player to earn the award, joining
Stephanie Hall (2003, 2004) and Selma
Kikic (2002).
Shoemaker opened the fall season with a 13-3 record that saw her
advance to the semifinal round of the USTA/ITA New England Regional
Championship and the final round of the NEWITT Tournament. She
followed up that success by winning her first 12 matches in the
spring. Shoemaker was one of six singles players from the NESCAC
chosen to participate in the NCAA individual championships from May
22-24 in Claremont, California. In addition to Player of the Year
honors, she earned a spot on the First Team in singles for the
third straight year.
Shoemaker was also selected to the First Team in doubles with
junior partner Rebecca Curran (Rumford, R.I.). The
tandem won the USTA/ITA Small College Division III National Tennis
Doubles Championship this fall en route to posting a 28-8 record
and being selected to compete in the doubles portion of the NCAA
Championships later this month. Last season, both players were
selected First Team in doubles, while Shoemaker named to the
doubles’ Second Team in 2012. Senior teammate
Kathleen Elkins (Davidson, N.C.) added First Team
singles recognition to her list of collegiate accolades. Elkins,
who registered a record of 22-8 primarily at the No. 2 position
this year, was First Team in singles and doubles in 2013, First
Team in doubles in 2012 and Second Team in singles in 2011. She
will cap off her career in the singles tournament of the NCAA
Championships.
NESCAC Champion Amherst was represented on the First Team in
singles and doubles by seniors Jordan Brewer (La
Quinta, Calif.) and Gabby Devlin (McLean, Va.).
Brewer posted a 22-8 record at the No. 1 singles position to earn
First Team recognition for the third time in her career. In the
fall, she won the USTA/ITA New England Regional Championship and
the NEWITT Tournament. Brewer was previously named to the First
Team in singles in 2011 and 2013, as well as the 2011 Rookie of the
Year. Devlin earned First Team recognition for the first time
in her career after going 28-5 at the No. 2 position for the Jeffs.
She advanced to the final of the USTA/ITA New England Regional
Championship before falling to Brewer. As a doubles team, the
defending NCAA champions have gone an impressive 28-1 this season
and won the USTA/ITA New England Regional Championship. Devlin is
making her fourth straight appearance on the First Team in doubles,
while Brewer is making her third overall appearance (2011, 2013).
Both will compete individuallly in the NCAA Singles Championship,
and as a team in the doubles portion of the championship.
The Bowdoin doubles team of senior Kate Winingham
(Indianapolis, Ind.) and first-year Samantha
Stalder (Laguna Hills, Calif.) collected First Team
honors. Since pairing up on March 19, the duo has gone 12-1,
winning 12 consecutive matches at the No. 2 position heading into
the NCAA Championships. It marks the first doubles all-conference
award for Winingham, who was Second Team All-NESCAC in singles in
2012.
Joining the pair is Bowdoin first-year Joulia
Likhanskaia (Winter Park, Fla.), who was selected as the
NESCAC Rookie of the Year. Likhanskaia posted an 18-3 singles
record at the No. 1 through No. 3 positions to earn a spot on the
First Team, while also going 12-11 at No. 1 doubles. She enjoyed
win streaks of six and nine matches in singles play during the
spring season. Likhanskaia joins Sarah
D’Elia (2006) as the only Polar Bears to receive the
award.
Rounding out the First Team singles honorees is Middlebury
first-year Alexandra Fields (Coral Gables, Fla.).
In her debut season, Fields posted a record of 13-6 at the No. 2
position for the Panthers. She has also been invited to compete at
the NCAA individual championships.
Senior Samantha Gann (Massapequa, N.Y.) of Tufts
has been named the conference’s Senior Sportswoman of the
Year, becoming the fourth Jumbo to garner the accolade. The award
is given annually to the individual who best combined and displayed
a high standard of tennis coupled with the highest levels of
sportsmanship.
Amherst head coach Jackie Bagwell has been chosen
by her counterparts as NESCAC Coach of the Year for the second time
in her career. Bagwell guided the Jeffs to the top seed in last
weekend’s NESCAC Championship after posting a perfect
conference record of 8-0. Amherst went on to win their ninth
conference crown in the past 11 years, and opens NCAA Championship
play this weekend at home. Bagwell previously earned the award in
2007.
Women's Tennis All Conference Teams
| First Team
All-NESCAC |
|
Name |
Institution |
Class |
Position |
Hometown |
| Jordan Brewer |
Amherst |
Sr. |
Singles/Doubles |
La Quinta, Calif. |
| Rebecca Curran |
Williams |
Jr. |
Doubles |
Rumford, R.I. |
| Gabby Devlin |
Amherst |
Sr. |
Singles/Doubles |
McLean, Va. |
| Kathleen Elkins |
Williams |
Sr. |
Singles |
Davidson, N.C. |
| Alexandra Fields |
Middlebury |
Fy. |
Singles |
Coral Gables, Fla. |
| Joulia Likhanskaia |
Bowdoin |
Fy. |
Singles |
Winter Park, Fla. |
| Kara Shoemaker |
Williams |
Sr. |
Singles/Doubles |
Princeton, N.J. |
| Samantha Stalder |
Bowdoin |
Fy. |
Doubles |
Laguna Hills, Calif. |
| Kate Winingham |
Bowdoin |
Sr. |
Doubles |
Indianapolis, Ind. |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Second Team
All-NESCAC |
|
Name |
Institution |
Class |
Position |
Hometown |
| Tiffany Cheng |
Bowdoin |
So. |
Singles |
Laguna Hills, Calif. |
| Kathleen Elkins |
Williams |
Sr. |
Doubles |
Davidson, N.C. |
| Melita Ferjanic |
Trinity |
So. |
Singles |
Samobor, Croatia |
| Ria Gerger |
Middlebury |
So. |
Singles/Doubles |
Houston, Texas |
| Sue Ghosh |
Amherst |
So. |
Singles |
Gaithersburg, Md. |
| Jen Newman |
Amherst |
Sr. |
Doubles |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Kaysee Orozco |
Middlebury |
Fy. |
Doubles |
New Milford, N.J. |
| Zoe Pangalos |
Amherst |
Sr. |
Doubles |
New York, N.Y. |
| Maria Pylypiv |
Williams |
Jr. |
Doubles |
Weatogue, Conn. |
| Linda Shin |
Williams |
Fy. |
Singles |
Johns Creek, Ga. |
| Kate Winingham |
Bowdoin |
Sr. |
Singles |
Indianapolis, Ind. |
|
|
