Northwestern University Athletics
Barnett, Larner Capture Big Ten Accolades
4/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern junior Alicia Barnett and freshman Erin Larner were selected to the women's tennis All-Big Ten team and Larner was named the conference's Freshman of the Year, the Big Ten Conference announced Thursday.
Barnett and Larner join 12 others from around the conference as All-Big Ten players.
The all-conference selection is the second consecutive for Barnett. She played the No. 1 singles position for Northwestern throughout the Big Ten season, posting a 6-5 mark and ending the season on a four-match winning streak. She has won 18 matches over the course of the season and beat two ranked opponents. Barnett's top win was a 6-1, 6-4 decision over Purdue's Daniela Vidal that pushed the Wildcats to a 4-3 win.
Barnett is the 23rd Northwestern player all-time to have multiple selections to the All-Big Ten. Fourteen players have been selected three times, and an elite group of five has gone four-for-four.
Freshman-of-the-Year Erin Larner posted an 8-3 record in the Big Ten while playing No. 2. She ended the season with seven straight wins over conference foes. Larner is tied for the team lead in overall wins with 28 and won 15 matches during dual play.
Larner is the ninth player in program history to win Freshman of the Year honors and the first since Maria Mosolova did in 2008.
Together, Barnett and Larner were a force in doubles play. The duo is currently ranked No. 39 in the national ITA poll and played at No. 1 for the duration of the Big Ten season. They posted a perfect 6-0 mark in conference play and were 8-1 overall during the regular season. The tandem scored a huge win on March 28 at Michigan when they took down the 12th-ranked team of Emina Bektas and Alex Najarian.
Larner was also recognized as the team's recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The student-athletes chosen to receive the honor are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the competition setting.
Northwestern (15-7) received its 17th straight NCAA tournament bid and will travel to Los Angeles to take on St. Mary's (Calif.) in an opening-round matchup. UCLA is the regional host. First and second round action takes place from May 9-10.
2015 Women's Tennis All-Big Ten Team
Alicia Barnett, Northwestern
Erin Larner, Northwestern
Alexis Casati, Illinois
Melissa Kopinski, Illinois
Katie Klyczek, Indiana
EMINA BEKTAS, Michigan
Sarah Lee, Michigan
Alex Najarian, Michigan
RONIT YUROVSKY, Michigan
Erin Faulkner, Michigan State
Gabriella De Santis, Ohio State
Anna Sanford, Ohio State
Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum, Purdue
Lauren Chypyha, Wisconsin
Unanimous selections in CAPS
Individual Awards
Athlete of the Year: Emina Bektas, Michigan
Freshman of the Year: Erin Larner, Northwestern
Coach of the Year: Melissa Schaub, Ohio State
Sportsmanship Award Honorees
Erin Larner, Northwestern
Melissa Kopinski, Illinois
Katie Klyczek, Indiana
Morven McCulloch, Iowa
Alexandra Stanova, Maryland
Ronit Yurovsky, Michigan
Athena Trouillot, Michigan State
Caroline Ryba, Minnesota
Maggy Lehmicke, Nebraska
Grainne O'Neill, Ohio State
Katia Blik, Penn State
Krsztina Kapitany, Purdue
Lindsay Balsamo, Rutgers
Ekaterina Stepanova, Wisconsin
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