Lauren Embree Named ITA National College Player of the Year
Wednesday, July 10, 2013 | Women's Tennis
Florida's Lauren Embree and Virginia's Jarmere Jenkins have been named the 2013 ITA National College Players of the Year, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced today.
The ITA College Player of the Year Awards are given to the male and female singles players who have had the most outstanding year in college tennis. The collegiate players will be honored on Saturday, July 13 in Newport, RI at a special Awards Luncheon during the Rolex Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend, and immediately prior to the 2013 International Tennis Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony.
Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) concluded her four-year career in Gainesville with a staggering 117-16 singles record, including a 26-3 mark during the 2012-13 season, placing her 12th on Florida's all-time career wins list. Embree began her senior campaign in tremendous form, as she claimed the 2012 ITA/Riviera Women's All-American Championships singles title. From there she went on to represent Team USA at the 2012 Master'U BNP Paribas, an eight team international tournament, guiding the Americans to their third title in the last four years.
In the spring season, Embree led the Gators to their fourth consecutive Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament titles. Her 10-0 mark in the SEC gave her an unblemished 38-0 career singles record in conference play, which earned her SEC Player of the Year distinction for the third time in her career, making her the only player in the conference's storied history to earn the award three times. She was also named the 2013 ITA Senior Player of the Year, becoming the first female player since 2006 to win the award after being named the ITA Rookie of the Year earlier in their career. Embree also earned ITA All-America honors for singles this season, making her a five-time ITA All-American (four singles, one doubles).
Embree's recognition marks the fifth time a Gator has been honored as the ITA National Player of the Year. Jill Craybas was honored in 1996, Lisa Raymond in 1992 and 1993 and Halle Cioffi in 1988.
Jarmere Jenkins capped a phenomenal senior year with a pair of national titles in Illinois but none more memorable than his efforts in guiding Virginia to its first NCAA Team Championship in school history.
Past ITA National Players of the Year:
| Men | Women |
| ||
| 2013 | Jarmere Jenkins, Virginia | 2013 | Lauren Embree, Florida | |
| 2012 | Steve Johnson, USC | 2012 | Nicole Gibbs, Stanford | |
| 2011 | Steve Johnson, USC | 2011 | Jana Juricova, California | |
| 2010 | Robert Farah, USC | 2010 | Irina Falconi, Georgia Tech | |
| 2009 | Oleksandr Nedovyesov, Ok. State | 2009 | Mallory Cecil, Duke | |
| 2008 | Somdev Devvarman, Virginia | 2008 | Amanda McDowell, Ga. Tech | |
| 2007 | Somdev Devvarman, Virginia | 2007 | Audra Cohen, Miami (Fla.) | |
| 2006 | Benjamin Kohlloeffel, UCLA | 2006 | Audra Cohen, Miami (Fla.) | |
| 2005 | Benedikt Dorsch, Baylor | 2005 | Megan Bradley, Miami (Fla.) | |
| 2004 | Benedikt Dorsch, Baylor | 2004 | Amber Liu, Stanford | |
| 2003 | Amer Delic, Illinois | 2003 | Amber Liu, Stanford | |
| 2002 | Matias Boeker, Georgia | 2002 | Bea Bielik, Wake Forest | |
| 2001 | Matias Boeker, Georgia | 2001 | Laura Granville, Stanford | |
| 2000 | Alex Kim, Stanford | 2000 | Laura Granville, Stanford | |
| 1999 | James Blake, Harvard | 1999 | Zuzana Lesenarova, San Diego | |
| 1998 | Bob Bryan, Stanford | 1998 | Vanessa Webb, Duke | |
| 1997 | Thomas Dupre, Mississippi State | 1997 | Lilia Osterloh, Stanford | |
| 1996 | Cecil Mamiit, USC | 1996 | Jill Craybas, Florida | |
| 1995 | Sargis Sargsian, Arizona State | 1995 | Keri Phebus, UCLA | |
| 1994 | Mark Merklein, Florida | 1994 | Angela Lettiere, Georgia | |
| 1993 | Chris Woodruff, Tennessee | 1993 | Lisa Raymond, Florida | |
| 1992 | Alex O'Brien, Stanford | 1992 | Lisa Raymond, Florida | |
| 1991 | Al Parker, Georgia | 1991 | Sandra Birch, Stanford | |
| 1990 | Steve Bryan, Texas | 1990 | Debbie Graham, Stanford | |
| 1989 | MaliVai Washington, Michigan | 1989 | Tami Whitlinger, Stanford | |
| 1988 | Robbie Weiss, Pepperdine | 1988 | Halle Cioffi, Florida | |
| 1987 | Richey Reneberg, SMU | 1987 | Patty Fendick, Stanford | |
| 1986 | Rick Leach, USC | 1986 | Caroline Kuhlman, USC | |
| 1985 | Mikael Pernfors, Georgia | 1985 | Gretchen Rush, Trinity (Texas) | |
| 1984 | Paul Annacone, Tennessee | 1984 | Gretchen Rush, Trinity (Texas) | |
| 1983 | Greg Holmes, Utah | 1983 | Beth Herr, USC | |
| 1982 | Marcel Freeman, UCLA | 1982 | Vicki Nelson, Rollins | |
| 1981 | Tim Mayotte, Stanford | |||
| 1980 | Peter Rennert, Stanford |
About the Intercollegiate Tennis Association
As the governing body of collegiate tennis, the ITA promotes both the athletic and academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, which was founded in 1956 and is based in Skillman, NJ, administers numerous regional and national championships, the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit, presented by the USTA, and the ITA College Tennis Rankings for men's and women's tennis at the NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior College levels. The ITA also has a comprehensive awards program for players and coaches to honor excellence in academics, leadership and sportsmanship. The official ITA web site is www.itatennis.com.
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