Northwestern University Athletics
Rose Named 2007 ITA National Player To Watch
5/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 22, 2007
ATHENS, Ga. -- Sophomore Georgia Rose (Mettawa, Ill./North Shore Country Day) has been named 2007 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Player to Watch. The Wildcat, who shares this year's honor with LSU's second-ranked Megan Falcon, starts her run in both the NCAA singles and doubles tournaments on Wednesday.
The ITA National Player to Watch award goes to a player who has not yet won an ITA national singles title, but is expected to perform at a high level the rest of their careers and contend for national titles. Rose was the Big Ten Player of the Year this past season, going 16-2 in dual matches. She is No. 9 and 13 in the doubles and singles rankings, respectively.
LSU's Falcon has been atop the singles rankings throughout her first season of collegiate tennis. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year is No. 2 in the latest Fila singles rankings and is 33-2 this season.
Rose, who was the Midwest Region's Player to Watch, was one of three Wildcats to earn ITA Midwest Region honors. Assistant coach David Mullins was the region's Assistant Coach of the Year while freshman Samantha Murray (Altrincham, England/Altrincham Grammar) was the region's Rookie Player of the Year.
As the governing body of collegiate tennis the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (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 Fila Collegiate 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.
This year's ITA national award winners are:
Women's Tennis
Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year -- Bryan Shelton of Georgia Tech
ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year -- David Anderton of Miami (Fla.)
ITA National Senior Player of the Year -- Jenna Long of North Carolina
ITA National Rookie of the Year -- Sarah Fansler of Southern California
ITA National Player to Watch -- (co-winners) Megan Falcon of LSU and Georgia Rose of Northwestern
ITA/Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship - Danielle Mousseau of Minnesota
ITA/Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship -- Megan Moulton-Levy of William & Mary
For information and scheduels for the 2007 NCAA Championships, visit University of Georgia Tournament Information Center.
