Aug. 26, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern tennis players Cristelle Grier and Jessica Rush will be honored as members of the 2004 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Star Team, presented by the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, this Friday, August 27 at the historic West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, N.Y.
In the 2003-04 season, the two combined to go 41-5 last season, easily surpassing the previous record of 26 doubles wins by one team in a season. The highlight came during the fall, when they won the ITA National Indoor Championship in November. As a result, the duo entered the spring as the top-ranked doubles team in the nation. For the second year in a row, Grier and Rush ended the spring by competing in the NCAA Doubles Championship, where they advanced to the quarterfinal round before losing.
This 21st edition of the ITA Collegiate All-Star Team includes the nation's top-ranked men's and women's tennis players at the NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and NJCAA levels, as well as champions from the 2003 ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships and 2004 NCAA Championships.
The ITA Collegiate All-Star Team will get to indulge in some activities at the historic West Side Tennis Club, site of the U.S. Open until 1977. Following a breakfast at West Side, the ITA All-Stars will participate in doubles play with guests from 9-11 a.m. Starting at noon, the ITA All-Stars will then be honored at a special luncheon and presented their awards. Nick Bollettieri will be on hand for the awards ceremony. The legendary Bollettieri founded his world famous tennis academy in 1978 and has coached many of the top players including Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, Tommy Haas and Jim Courier.
Grier returns this year as a junior for the Wildcats, while Rush graduated last June.