Northwestern University Athletics
Cohen Ranked No. 1 Nationally in Singles And Doubles
1/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
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Jan. 11, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. - After compiling a 20-1 singles record and a flawless 12-0 doubles mark in the fall of 2004, freshman Audra Cohen (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) has earned the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) No. 1 national ranking in both singles and doubles.
Cohen is the first freshman to be ranked No. 1 since Duke's Ansley Cargill on Feb. 12, 2001. She also is the first player to be ranked No. 1 in singles and doubles at same time since Georgia's Agata Cioroch on March 23, 2003 (with Lori Grey).
The No. 1 singles ranking comes on the heels of the ITA naming Northwestern junior Cristelle Grier (Epsom, England/Putney) as the preseason No. 1 singles player. The last time two players from the same school were ranked No. 1 in singles during the same season came in 1999-2000 when Stanford's Marissa Irvin and Laura Granville dominated the top of the charts.
Cohen began her collegiate career with 20-straight singles wins, including 12 victories in nine days at the ITA National Championships to become Northwestern's first national singles champion. She followed that performance by claiming the ITA Midwest Championship, before teaming with Grier to capture the ITA National Indoors Doubles Championship.
Grier has earned the No. 4 slot in singles, while sophomore Alexis Prousis (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) is No. 49. Grier's No. 1 ranking to begin the fall marked the first time a Big Ten player had ever opened up the season atop the rankings.
As a team, the Wildcats have earned a No. 5 ranking -- the highest in school history. The top four teams are Stanford, Florida, Clemson and UCLA, respectively.
