Illinois, Michigan and Ohio State take home individual honors
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- The Big Ten women's tennis all-conference teams and individual awards were announced Thursday following the Big Ten Tournament. Michigan's Kate Fahey was named Athlete of the Year. Shiori Fukuda of Ohio State was honored as the Freshman of the Year. Illinois' Evan Clark collected Coach of the Year accolades.
Fahey becomes the fifth Wolverine selected as the Big Ten Athlete of the Year and first since Emina Bektas claimed the award in back-to-back seasons in 2014 and 2015. Fahey helped the Wolverines to their second Big Ten Tournament Championship title this season. She posted a 27-8 record in singles and is currently ranked 31st in the nation by the ITA, the highest ranking for a Big Ten performer.
Fukuda is the fourth Buckeye named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and third in the last five years following Gabriella De Santis (2014) and Francesca Di Lorenzo (2016). Fukuda is ranked 99th in the latest ITA rankings and has compiled a 23-10 singles record and a 21-11 mark in doubles.
Clark is the second Illinois coach to earn Big Ten Coach of the Year and first since Mary Tredennick in 1987. In his second season in Champaign, Clark has led the Fighting Illini to a 21-5 record including an 8-3 mark in Big Ten play with a third-place finish.
2018 All-Big Ten Women's Tennis AwardsAs selected by Big Ten coaches
ALL-BIG TEN TEAMJaclyn Switkes, IllinoisElise van Heuvelen, IowaEva Alexandrova, MarylandKATE FAHEY, MichiganChiara Lommer, MichiganBrienne Minor, MichiganCaroline Ryba, MinnesotaERIN LARNER, NorthwesternMADDIE LIPP, NorthwesternLee Or, NorthwesternSHIORI FUKUDA, Ohio StateANNA SANFORD, Ohio StateSILVIA AMBROSIO, PurdueLEXI KEBERLE, Wisconsin
ATHLETE OF THE YEARKate Fahey, Michigan
FRESHMAN OF THE YEARShiori Fukuda, Ohio State
COACH OF THE YEAREvan Clark, Illinois
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREESGrace Tapak, IllinoisXiwei Cai, IndianaAnastasia Reimchen, IowaMillie Stretton, MarylandBrienne Minor, MichiganSamantha Memije, Michigan StateMehvish Safdar, MinnesotaVasanti Shinde, NebraskaLee Or, NorthwesternOlivia Sneed, Ohio StateBennett Dunn, Penn StateSeira Shimizu, PurdueChloe Lee, RutgersMelissa Pick, Wisconsin
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