HADLEY, Mass. – The NESCAC Women's Tennis awards were announced on Thursday. Amherst senior Jackie Bukzin was named the NESCAC Women's Tennis Player of the Year, Middlebury first-year Sahana Raman garnered NESCAC Rookie of the Year honors, Bates senior Sydney Byrnes was selected as the Senior Sportswoman of the Year, and Wesleyan head coach Mike Fried was voted as the NESCAC Coach of the Year by his peers.
Bukzin wins the NESCAC Player of the Year honor for the second season in a row and is one of three players in the award's history to earn the honor in back-to-back years. Bukzin is the fifth Mammoth to earn the honor in program history. She helped Amherst earn the No. 4 seed in the NESCAC Women's Tennis Championship and reach the semifinals. She owns a 15-1 record at No. 1 singles and is 11-6 at No. 1 doubles this season. The Mammoths (11-8) were an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament and will host a regional, May 13-15.
Raman, who is the fifth Panther to earn NESCAC Rookie of the Year honors, began her Middlebury career with an 11-match winning streak in the fall. The rookie was just the second Panther to advance to the ITA Cup Singles Championship match and was the top seed of the tournament. This spring, Raman posted a 13-4 record in singles action, and a 7-0 mark in the No. 2 spot. She helped the Panthers earn the No. 2 seed in the NESCAC Women's Tennis Championship and reach the championship match. Middlebury (15-5) was an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament and travels to Pittsburgh, Pa. to play in a regional hosted by Carnegie Mellon, May 12-14.
Byrnes is the first Bates player to garner the NESCAC Senior Sportswoman of the Year award. The honor is given annually to the individual who best displayed a high standard of tennis coupled with the highest levels of sportsmanship. Byrnes helped the Bobcats qualify for the NESCAC Women's Tennis Championship for the first time since 2005.
Fried earns the NESCAC Coach of the Year honor for the second time in his career. Top-seeded Wesleyan won its third straight NESCAC title with comeback wins in the semifinals and final. Fried's Cardinals are the first program in school history to win the NESCAC Championship three straight seasons. The Cardinals enter the NCAA Tournament with a 20-0 mark. The 20 wins are tied for a single-season record (20-2 in 2019) while the Cardinals are just the second team in the history of the NESCAC to start a season 20-0 (Williams in 2014-15).
2022 NESCAC Women's Tennis All-Conference
Player of the Year: Jackie Bukzin, Amherst
Rookie of the Year: Sahana Raman, Middlebury
Senior Sportswoman of the Year: Sydney Byrnes, Bates
Coach of the Year: Mike Fried, Wesleyan
| 2022 NESCAC Women's Tennis All-Conference Team |
| First Team Singles |
| Name |
Institution |
Class |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| Jackie Bukzin |
Amherst |
Sr. |
Manorville, N.Y. |
2021 Player of the Year, 2021 1st Team Singles, 2021 1st Team Doubles
2019 Rookie of the Year; 2019 1st Team Singles, 2019 2nd Team Doubles |
| Elle Christensen |
Tufts |
Fy. |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
|
| Erica Ekstrand |
Williams |
So. |
Santa Monica, Calif. |
2021 1st Team Singles |
| Caitlyn Ferrante |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Yorktown Heights, N.Y. |
|
| Kate Fleischman |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Bellevue, Wash. |
2021 2nd Team Doubles |
| Sahana Raman |
Middlebury |
Fy. |
Acton, Mass. |
|
| First Team Doubles |
| Name |
Institution |
Class |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| Elle Christensen |
Tufts |
Fy. |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
|
| Tilly Rigby |
Tufts |
Jr. |
Toronto, Ontario |
2021 Rookie of the Year, 2021 1st Team Singles, 2021 2nd Team Doubles |
| Caitlyn Ferrante |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Yorktown Heights, N.Y. |
|
| Sasha Gaeth |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Seattle, Wash. |
|
| Erica Ekstrand |
Williams |
So. |
Santa Monica, Calif. |
2021 1st Team Singles |
| Yuu Ishikawa |
Williams |
Fy. |
Los Altos, Calif. |
|
| Second Team Singles |
| Name |
Institution |
Class |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| Amy Cui |
Amherst |
Fy. |
East Brunswick, N.J. |
|
| Deliala Friedman |
Amherst |
Fy. |
Brooklyn, N.Y. |
|
| Yuu Ishikawa |
Williams |
Fy. |
Los Altos, Calif. |
|
| Jamilah Karah |
Bowdoin |
Fy. |
Berkeley, Calif. |
|
| Claudia Miller |
Middlebury |
Fy. |
Sullivan's Island, S.C. |
|
| Tilly Rigby |
Tufts |
Jr. |
Toronto, Ontario |
2021 Rookie of the Year, 2021 1st Team Singles, 2021 2nd Team Doubles |
| Second Team Doubles |
| Name |
Institution |
Class |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| Deliala Friedman |
Amherst |
Fy. |
Brooklyn, N.Y. |
|
| Mia Kintiroglou |
Amherst |
Fy. |
New Vernon, N.J. |
|
| Hannah Buckhout |
Bowdoin |
So. |
Weston, Mass. |
|
| Elizabeth Yu |
Bowdoin |
So. |
Edison, N.J. |
|
| Maggie Dorr |
Tufts |
Sr. |
Concord, Mass. |
2021 1st Team Doubles |
| Caroline Garrido |
Tufts |
Sr. |
Gastonia, N.C. |
2021 1st Team Doubles, 2019 1st Team Doubles |
