May 11, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern's Audra Cohen (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) can put another notch in her tennis racket.
The phenomenal freshman is featured in the Faces in the Crowd department of Sports Illustrated's Thursday, May 12 issue after becoming only the second player in Big Ten women's tennis history to win both Freshman and Athlete of the Year honors.
When the conference's postseason awards were announced May 5, Cohen was the unanimous selection as the Freshman of the Year. She is the fifth Wildcat in Northwestern women's tennis history and third under head coach Claire Pollard to earn the honor.
Cohen's nod as the Big Ten's Athlete of the Year marked the fifth time a Wildcat had earned the honor and the fourth time in Pollard's seven-year tenure.
By taking home both Freshman and Athlete of the Year honors, Cohen joins Northwestern's own Grier (2003) as the only two athletes to sweep the awards in conference history.
Cohen also was one of three Wildcats to be unanimously selected to the All-Big Ten team (Cristelle Grier and Alexis Prousis). The trio finished a combined 30-0 in the Big Ten.
As the Wildcats prepare for the NCAA Regionals this weekend in Evanston, Cohen's record stands at 44-5 overall, 21-4 in duals, 10-0 in the Big Ten. She also is the fourth-ranked singles player in the nation.
Check out the other athletes featured in this week's edition of SI's Faces in the Crowd.