May 5, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. - A steady stream of accolades continues to pour in for Northwestern's women's tennis team. After winning their seventh-straight Big Ten Championship last weekend in East Lansing, Mich., the Wildcats swept the conference's postseason awards announced Thursday.
Three Wildcats earned all-Big Ten honors, Claire Pollard was named Coach of the Year and Audra Cohen (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) won both Athlete of the Year and Freshman of the Year.
Junior Cristelle Grier (Epsom, England) and sophomore Alexis Prousis (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) joined Cohen as unanimous selections to the all-Big Ten team. It is the third-straight all-conference nod for Grier and the first of Prousis' blossoming career. The trio finished a combined 30-0 in the Big Ten.
Pollard has now had at least two players named to the team in each of her seven years as head coach. This marks the fourth year that three of her players have earned the honor (1999, '02, '03, '05). She has overseen a total of 18 all-Big Ten selections from 1999-05.
Cohen becomes the fifth Wildcat in Northwestern women's tennis history to earn Freshman of the Year honors and the third under Pollard. Marine Piriou claimed the honor in 2000, while Grier won the award in 2003 after exploding onto the Big Ten scene with a perfect 25-0 dual record and 10-0 conference mark.
Cohen also is the fifth Wildcat to earn Big Ten Athlete of the Year and the fourth to do so under Pollard. Piriou won it in 2002, while Grier has claimed the honor each of the last two years.
By taking home both Freshman and Athlete of the Year honors, Cohen joins some pretty elite company. She is one of only two Big Ten athletes to sweep the awards -- the other is Northwestern's own Grier (2003).
Pollard's Coach of the Year nod was the third of her career and the second-straight (2001, '04, '05). She claimed the award in 2001 after going 10-0 in the conference and finishing 24-5 overall. Pollard won the award last year, as well, posting a 9-1 Big Ten mark and finishing a career-best 25-5 overall.
Grier also earned the Sportsmanship Award for Northwestern.
Valerie Vladea was left off the team despite making a strong case for herself. She finished 9-0 in the conference and currently has a 33-8 overall record.
ALL-BIG TEN TEAM
Cynthya Goulet, Sr., Illinois
Sarah Batty, Jr., Indiana
* Meg Racette, So., Iowa
* Michelle DaCosta, Sr., Michigan
Nischela Reddy, Fr., Minnesota
* Audra Cohen, Fr., Northwestern
* Cristelle Grier, Jr., Northwestern
* Alexis Prousis, So., Northwestern
Maaria Husain, Sr., Penn State
* Hala Sufi, So., Purdue
Caitlin Burke, So., Wisconsin
* Katie McGaffigan, Sr., Wisconsin
COACH OF THE YEAR
Claire Pollard, Northwestern
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
* Audra Cohen, Northwestern
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Audra Cohen, Northwestern
* Unanimous Selection
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES
Macall Harkins, Illinois
Laura McGaffigan, Indiana
Hilary Tyler, Iowa
Michelle DaCosta, Michigan
Christine Bader, Michigan State
Nischela Reddy, Minnesota
Cristelle Grier, Northwestern
Caitlin O'Keefe, Ohio State
Sasha Abraham, Penn State
Brooke Beier, Purdue
Katie McGaffigan, Wisconsin