Empire 8 Announces Women's Tennis All-Conference Team; Amanda Berg of RIT Named Player of the Year
October 15, 2008
ROCHESTER, NY – Sophomore transfer Amanda Berg of Rochester Institute of Technology was named the 2008 Empire 8 Women’s Tennis Player of the Year. The 2007 New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year was named to the all-conference first team in singles and in doubles. Griffin Currie of Alfred University was named Empire 8 Rookie of the Year.
Berg did not drop a singles match or set in Empire 8 action, playing at first singles, in the regular season or Empire 8 championship tournament. She and teammate Brianne Francisco went undefeated at first doubles in regular season conference play.
Senior Rachel Leonard of Nazareth College received first-team honors for the fourth consecutive year, recording a 7-1 mark in Empire 8 regular season play.
Three players from Empire 8 champion Ithaca College earned first-team recognition. Senior Alyssa Jaffe was named Most Valuable Player of the Empire 8 Women’s Tennis Championship this past weekend and a second-team honoree in 2007. Junior Devra Reiman (first singles) and sophomore Agata Kubik (first and second singles) garnered first-team honors for the first time. Jaffe and Reiman also teamed up to gain first-team honors in doubles.
Currie earned the top rookie honor after posting a 9-6 record at first singles and an 8-4 record at first doubles for the Saxons. She was also named to the all-conference second team.
Sophomore Allyson Kingman of Stevens Institute of Technology, a second-team selection last season, was named to the all-conference first team after posting a 7-1 regular season mark in Empire 8 play at second singles. Kingman and senior Whitney Bender earned first-team all-conference honors in doubles, finishing 6-2 at first doubles in Empire 8 regular season play.
First-year player Nicole Portner and sophomore Kendra Appleheimer of Stevens were selected to the all-conference first team in doubles after recording a 6-2 mark in conference regular season at second doubles.
Bill Austin was selected as Empire 8 Coach of the Year for the fourth consecutive year after leading Ithaca to its fourth straight conference title and third straight bid to the NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Championship.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2008 Women’s Tennis Sportswoman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportswomen.
Empire 8 2008 Women’s Tennis All-Conference Awards
Player of the Year: Amanda Berg, Rochester Institute of Technology
Rookie of the Year: Griffin Currie, Alfred University
Coach of the Year: Bill Austin, Ithaca College