NEAC Announces 2014-15 Women’s Tennis All-Conference Selections and Individual Award Winners
CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. – The North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) has announced its 2014-15 Women's Tennis NEAC West Division* All-Conference selections, which were determined during the individual tournament that was held at the Birchwood Tennis Club in Clarks Summit, Pa. on Saturday and Sunday.
The individual tournament consisted of the top-four seeded student-athletes for first through sixth singles and first through third doubles. Each flight saw the No. 1 seed take on the No. 4 seed and the No. 2 seed take on the No. 3 seed. The first-round winners advanced to the championship round, which produced six singles position champions and three doubles position champions, with those student-athletes also making up the All-Conference First Team. The runners-up from those flights made up the All-Conference Second Team, while the All-Conference Third Team consisted of the winners of each flight from the consolation bracket.
The NEAC also announced its individual award winners at the conclusion of the tournament Sunday. Wells College senior Taryn Heath (Truxton, N.Y.) earned the Player of the Year award after an excellent performance in the tournament. Slotted as the No. 2 seed in first singles, Heath picked up a straight-set victory over Penn State Berks sophomore and No. 3 seed Nandita Munindra (Edison, N.J.) 6-2, 6-4 before upsetting Penn College sophomore and No. 1 seed Melissa Stabley (Cogan Station, Pa.) 6-4, 6-4 in the finals to claim the award, which annually goes to the winner of the first singles flight. That capped off a terrific season in which Heath finished 6-1 in first singles while posting the same record in first doubles along with junior teammate Brooke Benedetto (Williamstown, Pa.).
The conference coaches held on vote for the remaining two awards, tabbing Penn State Abington freshman Gabrielle Eberhardt (Cherry Hill, N.J.) as the NEAC Rookie of the Year after an excellent debut season. Eberhardt took home an All-Conference Third Team honor in first doubles along with junior teammate Sheena Philip (Philadelphia, Pa.), while also earning the No. 4 seed in the first singles tournament after going 9-5 from that position during the regular season.
Penn State Berks' Scott Yarnell was selected by his peers as the NEAC Coach of the Year for the seventh time in his career. Yarnell led the Nittany Lions to their fourth divisional title in the past six seasons after entering the tournament as the No. 2 seed, while landing four players on the All-Conference First Team.
Full tournament results can be viewed here.
All three All-Conference teams can be viewed below.
Flight Winner(s)
|
Name, Yr.
|
College
|
First Team
|
#1 Singles
|
Taryn Heath, Sr.
|
Wells College
|
#2 Singles
|
Brooke Benedetto, Jr.
|
Wells College
|
#3 Singles
|
Kamarie Maturine, Fr.
|
Wells College
|
#4 Singles
|
Marje Robinson, Fr.
|
Penn State Berks
|
#5 Singles
|
Cassidy Schultz, Jr.
|
Penn State Berks
|
#6 Singles
|
Erin Ginther, So.
|
Penn State Berks
|
#1 Doubles
|
Taryn Heath, Jr. & Brooke Benedetto, Jr.
|
Wells College
|
#2 Doubles
|
Amanda Shulski, Fr. & Janie Saile, So.
|
Penn State Abington
|
#3 Doubles
|
Liz Kurtz, So. & Cassidy Schultz, Jr.
|
Penn State Berks
|
Second Team
|
#1 Singles
|
Melissa Stabley, So.
|
Penn College
|
#2 Singles
|
Amanda Shulski, Fr.
|
Penn State Abington
|
#3 Singles
|
Savannah Fuller, Sr.
|
Keuka College
|
#4 Singles
|
Honestee Sphabmixay, So.
|
Penn State Abington
|
#5 Singles
|
Sally Phung, Fr.
|
Penn State Abington
|
#6 Singles
|
Kate Wells, Fr.
|
Wells College
|
#1 Doubles
|
Melissa Stabley, So. & Morgan Blackwell, Fr.
|
Penn College
|
#2 Doubles
|
Megan Antosy, Fr. & Erin Ginther, So.
|
Penn State Berks
|
#3 Doubles
|
Honestee Sphabmixay, So. & Sally Phung, Fr.
|
Penn State Abington
|
Third Team
|
#1 Singles
|
Nandita Munindra, So.
|
Penn State Berks
|
#2 Singles
|
Heidi Van Buskirk, Jr.
|
Keuka College
|
#3 Singles
|
Sheena Philip, Jr.
|
Penn State Abington
|
#4 Singles
|
Danielle Bautista, Fr.
|
Wells College
|
#5 Singles
|
Nicole Sanborn, So.
|
Wells College
|
#6 Singles
|
Melissa Mason, So.
|
Keuka College
|
#1 Doubles
|
Gabrielle Eberhardt, Fr. & Sheena Philip, Jr.
|
Penn State Abington
|
#2 Doubles
|
Savannah Fuller, Sr. & Allison Williams, Jr.
|
Keuka College
|
#3 Doubles
|
Kamarie Maturine, Fr. & Kate Wells, Fr.
|
Wells College
|
************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** The North Eastern Athletic Conference has fourteen NCAA Division III member institutions which include: Bryn Athyn College, Cazenovia College, College of St. Elizabeth, Gallaudet University, Keuka College, Lancaster Bible College, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Pennsylvania State University - Abington, Pennsylvania State University - Berks, SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Morrisville State College, SUNY Polytechnic Institute of Technology, Wells College, and Wilson College. Associate members are: Cedar Crest College (W Swimming), D'Youville College (M Volleyball), Hilbert College (M Lacrosse & M Volleyball), Medaille College (M&W Lacrosse & M Volleyball), Penn State Altoona (M Volleyball) and Rutgers University - Camden (M Golf). The North Eastern Athletic Conference has partnered with the North Atlantic Conference in the sports of men's and women's tennis.
*Beginning with the 2010 season, the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) has partnered with the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) in the sport of men's and women's tennis. The NEAC will compete as associate members of the NAC in men's tennis, while the NAC will compete as associate members of the NEAC in women's tennis. Members from each conference will be divided into an East and West Division for each sport, with each division holding a championship and the two divisional champions then facing off to determine the conference champion. The conference winner for each sport will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships.
A complete breakdown of the NEAC/NAC tennis partnership is as follows:
Men's Tennis: NEAC members Bryn Athyn, Keuka, Lancaster Bible, Penn College, Penn State Abington and Penn State Berks will play as associate members of the NAC in a West Division. The East Division will consist of NAC members Castleton, Colby-Sawyer, Green Mountain, Johnson State, Lyndon State, MCLA and Thomas.
Women's Tennis: NAC members Castleton, Colby-Sawyer, Green Mountain, Johnson State, Lyndon State, MCLA and Thomas will play in the NEAC as associate members in the East Division. The West Division will consist of NEAC members Bryn Athyn, College of St. Elizabeth, Keuka, Lancaster Bible, Penn College, Penn State Abington, Penn State Berks and Wells.