Cecil, Nedovyesov Named Campbell/ITA National College Players of the Year

March 10, 2009 03:45 PM

SKILLMAN, N.J. – Duke’s Mallory Cecil and Oleksandr Nedovyesov of Oklahoma State have been named the 2009 Campbell/ITA National College Players of the Year, the ITA announced today. Tennessee’s Davey Sandgren and John-Patrick Smith and Renata Kucerkova and Anastasia Petukhova of Fresno State are the ITA National Doubles Teams of the Year.

The Campbell/ITA National College Player of the Year awards are given to one male and one female singles player who has had the most outstanding year in college tennis. For the first time, the collegiate players will be recognized at the 2009 International Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on July 11 in Newport, R.I., during the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, July 6-12.

This past February, the ITA announced that a multi-year agreement has been reached between the ITA and the Campbell Soup Company in which the company will serve as the title sponsor for the ITA College Tennis Rankings and the ITA College Players of the Year awards.

“Campbell Soup Company is pleased to play a role in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association,” said Jerry S. Buckley, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, Campbell Soup Company. “College tennis players represent the best of college athletics and help promote tennis to young people across the country. Campbell has long been committed to encouraging young people to lead a healthy lifestyle, including getting an appropriate amount of exercise.”

Cecil capped off her stellar rookie season by defeating Miami’s Laura Vallverdu to win the NCAA Women’s Tennis Singles Championship. The ITA Southeast Region Rookie of the Year became just the second player in Duke women’s tennis history to win the NCAA individual crown and the seventh freshman in NCAA history to take home the title, with the most recent coming in 2005. She also became the 14th women’s tennis player in NCAA history and first in ACC history to win both a team national title and individual crown in the same season and the first to do so since 2004. Cecil closes out her season with a 32-4 record, marking the 46th time in program history a Blue Devil has eclipsed the 30-wins mark. Her 32 victories are tied for 32nd all-time. Playing No. 1 all season for Duke, she helped guide the Blue Devils to the team championship and a 29-3 record on the season.

Nedovyesov compiled a record of 35-7 and a No. 1 national ranking in singles and continues to rack up the individual honors. The three-year ITA All-American entered the fall season as the ITA preseason No. 1 singles player and lived up to the billing, with a runner-up finish at the D'Novo Men's All-American Championship. He qualified for the ITA Indoor National Championship with a doubles win at the 2008 Wison/ITA Central Region Championships, where he advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion, Bryan Koniecko of Ohio State. Nedovyesov was recently selected as the 2009 ITA Men’s Player to Watch, was named Big 12 Player of the Year for the second straight year and was also named the Big 12 Freshman and Newcomer of the Year in 2007. In his three years at OSU, he has been a unanimous All-Big 12 performer each year in singles and doubles. In 42 matches this season, Nedovyesov faced a ranked opponent in all but three matches, including his last of the season versus 2009 Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship Award Winner, Blake Strode of Arkansas, in the NCAA Singles Championship Round of 16.

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, N.J., administers numerous regional and national championships, the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit, presented by the USTA, and the Campbell/ITA 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.

About Campbell Soup Company
Campbell Soup Company is a global manufacturer and marketer of high-quality foods and simple meals, including soup, baked snacks, and healthy beverages. Founded in 1869, the company has a portfolio of market-leading brands, including “Campbell’s,” “Pepperidge Farm,” “Arnott’s,” and “V8.” For more information on the company, visit Campbell’s website at www.CampbellSoup.com.


Past ITA National Players of the Year:
Men

1980 - Peter Rennert, Stanford
1981 - Tim Mayotte, Stanford
1982 - Marcel Freeman, UCLA
1983 - Greg Holmes, Utah
1984 - Paul Annacone, Tennessee
1985 - Mikael Pernfors, Georgia
1986 - Rick Leach, Southern California
1987 - Richey Reneberg, SMU
1988 - Robbie Weiss, Pepperdine
1989 - MaliVai Washington, Michigan
1990 - Steve Bryan, Texas
1991 - Al Parker, Georgia
1992 - Alex O'Brien, Stanford
1993 - Chris Woodruff, Tennessee
1994 - Mark Merklein, Florida
1995 - Sargis Sargsian, Arizona State
1996 - Cecil Mamiit, Southern California
1997 - Thomas Dupre, Mississippi State
1998 - Bob Bryan, Stanford
1999 - James Blake, Harvard
2000 - Alex Kim, Stanford
2001 - Matias Boeker, Georgia
2002 - Matias Boeker, Georgia
2003 - Amer Delic, Illinois
2004 - Benedikt Dorsch, Baylor
2005 - Benedikt Dorsch, Baylor
2006 - Benjamin Kohlloeffel, UCLA
2007 - Somdev Devvarman, Virginia
2008 - Somdev Devvarman, Virginia
2009 - Oleksandr Nedovyesov, Oklahoma State

Women
1982 - Vicki Nelson, Rollins
1983 - Beth Herr, Southern California
1984 - Gretchen Rush, Trinity (Texas)
1985 - Gretchen Rush, Trinity (Texas)
1986 - Caroline Kuhlman, Southern California
1987 - Patty Fendick, Stanford
1988 - Halle Cioffi, Florida
1989 - Tami Whitlinger, Stanford
1990 - Debbie Graham, Stanford
1991 - Sandra Birch, Stanford
1992 - Lisa Raymond, Florida
1993 - Lisa Raymond, Florida
1994 - Angela Lettiere, Georgia
1995 - Keri Phebus, UCLA
1996 - Jill Craybas, Florida
1997 - Lilia Osterloh, Stanford
1998 - Vanessa Webb, Duke
1999 - Zuzana Lesenarova, San Diego
2000 - Laura Granville, Stanford
2001 - Laura Granville, Stanford
2002 - Bea Bielik, Wake Forest
2003 - Amber Liu, Stanford
2004 - Amber Liu, Stanford
2005 - Megan Bradley, Miami (Fla.)
2006 - Audra Cohen, Miami (Fla.)
2007 - Audra Cohen, Miami (Fla.)
2008 - Amanda McDowell, Georgia Tech
2009 - Mallory Cecil, Duke

Past ITA National Doubles Teams of the Year:
Men

2000 - Geoff Abrams and Alex Kim, Stanford
2001 - Matias Boeker and Travis Parrott, Georgia
2002 - Andrew Colombo and Marc Kovacs, Auburn
2003 - Richard Barker and William Barker, Rice
2004 - Richard Barker and William Barker, Rice
2005 - John Isner and Antonio Ruiz, Georgia
2006 - Kevin Anderson and Ryan Rowe, Illinois
2007 - Luis Flores and John Isner, Georgia
2008 - Robert Farah and Kaes Van’t Hof, Southern California
2009 - Davey Sandgren and John-Patrick Smith, Tennessee

Women
2000 - Claire Curran and Amy Jensen, California
2001 - Whitney Laiho and Jessica Lehnhoff, Florida
2002 - Lauren Kalvaria and Gabriela Lastra, Stanford
2003 - Christina Fusano and Raquel Kops-Jones, California
2004 - Lauren Barnikow and Erin Burdette, Stanford
2005 - Alice Barnes and Erin Burdette, Stanford
2006 - Alice Barnes and Anne Yelsey, Stanford
2007 - Sara Anundsen and Jenna Long, North Carolina
2008 - Riza Zalameda and Tracy Lin, UCLA
2009 - Renata Kucerkova and Anastasia Petukhova, Fresno State

RELATED:
College Spotlight: Mallory Cecil, Duke University

 

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