Five Gators Honored by SEC W-Tennis Coaches, Cohen Named Freshman of Year
Wednesday, April 16, 2008 | Women's Tennis
Five members of the University of Florida women's tennis team were honored by the Southeastern Conference coaches with postseason awards, highlighted by Julia Cohen's recognition as the SEC Freshman of the Year, which was announced on Wednesday.
Cohen is the third Gator recognized as the league's top rookie since the award began in 2000. The Philadelphia-native joins Lindsay Dawaf, who was the 2001 SEC Freshman of the Year, and Zerene Reyes, who was honored in 2002 by the league's coaches.
Cohen enrolled at UF in January of 2008 and made an immediate impact, becoming the first Gator freshman to play the No. 1 singles spot since Anoucshka Popp in 1994. She sports a 12-3 singles record, all in dual match play, and is undefeated in collegiate doubles matches, 18-0 overall, including 10-0 in SEC action.
Cohen, who also was selected to the inaugural SEC All-Freshman Team, was the lone rookie voted to the 12-member All-SEC First Team, which featured Gator teammates Whitney Benik and Csilla Borsanyi.
Benik fields a perfect 10-0 in SEC dual match singles action, including a 17-1 in all dual matches and enters the SEC Tournament riding a 14-match singles win streak along with 95 career singles wins and a 74-11 all-time dual match record. She is 8-2 in SEC doubles and 16-2 in all dual matches this season, while becoming the 11th Gator to win 100 career doubles matches.
In SEC matches, Borsanyi tallied six wins while playing at a career-high No. 2 in the singles lineup. She has had two different doubles partners during the dual-match season, but is a combined 5-1 versus SEC teams at the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles positions.
Selected to the All-SEC Second Team were UF sophomores Megan Alexander and Anastasia Revzina.
Alexander has figured into the final dual match scoring in all 11 SEC matches this season, posting a 7-4 record in singles. She was forced to play with a different doubles partner late in the season, but is 4-1 down the stretch after logging a 5-1 SEC record at the No. 1 spot to start the SEC season.
Revzina has overcome numerous injuries to post a perfect 9-0 record in SEC dual match singles play and a perfect 10-0 record in SEC doubles dual matches. In all dual matches, she has logged a 13-2 record in singles and a 15-0 mark in doubles. She provided the clinching singles victory in five SEC dual matches this season and enters the SEC Tournament riding a 10-match win streak in singles and a 15-match win streak in doubles.
2008 SEC Women's Tennis Awards
Coach of the Year: Michael Hegarty, Arkansas
Player of the Year: Fani Chifchieva, Auburn
Freshman of the Year: Julia Cohen, Florida
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Aurelija Miseviciute, Arkansas
All-Freshman Team
Tiffany Welcher, Alabama
Julia Cohen, Florida
Cameron Ellis, Georgia
Megan Broderick, Kentucky
Karen Nijssen, Ole Miss
Keilly Ulery, Vanderbilt
All-SEC First Team
Aurelija Miscviciute, Arkansas*
Ela Kaluder, Arkansas*
Fani Chifchieva, Auburn*
Alex Haney, Auburn
Whitney Benik, Florida
Julia Cohen, Florida
Csilla Borsanyi, Florida
Monica Dancevic, Georgia
Yvette Hyndman, Georgia*
Megan Falcon, LSU*
Taka Bertrand, Vanderbilt
Amanda Taylor, Vanderbilt*
All-SEC Second Team
Anastasia Revzina, Florida
Megan Alexander, Florida
Naoka Ueshima, Georgia
Cameron Ellis, Georgia
Megan Broderick, Kentucky
Christine Johnston, Kentucky
Hannah Robinson, LSU
Gira Schofield, South Carolina
Ana Maria Zubori, South Carolina
Natasa Vuckovic, South Carolina
Caitlin Whoriskey, Tennessee
Catherine Newman, Vanderbilt
Karen Njissen, Vanderbilt
*unanimous
END OF REPORT
