RC's Fainter, VWC's Yousif, W&L's Kirkland also Honored

FOREST, Va. --- Washington and Lee University's Sonja Meighan picked up her third major conference honor in two seasons as she was named the ODAC Player of the Year for the second consecutive campaign as part of the 2013 ODAC Women's Tennis All-Conference awards.  Roanoke College mentor Justin Fainter was tabbed the ODAC Coach of the Year, while Virginia Wesleyan College newcomer Sara Yousif garnered ODAC Rookie of the Year accolades.  W&L's Patricia Kirkland received the ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award in a vote of the league's sports information directors.

Meighan, a sophomore from McLean, Va., put together a 10-3 campaign at #1 singles, with her three losses coming to ranked opponents throughout the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) regional ranking system.  The fifth-rated player in the Atlantic South Region, Meighan's win total includes a 5-0 mark against ODAC competition.  Three of her victories came against regionally ranked opponents, included Chelsea Motie from Carnegie Mellon, who is ranked sixth in the Atlantic South.  She also topped the Skidmore's Nataly Mendoza, who is ranked sixth in the Northeast, and Trinity (Texas) standout Mackenzie Knoop, who is the fourth-ranked player in the West.

Kirkland, a sophomore from Charleston, S.C., performs both on and off the court.  She boasts a 3.697 grade point average as a Mathematics major.  She is both a W&L Scholar and a member of the All-ODAC Academic Team, the latter of which she is slated for a second appearance following the 2013 season.  She is also a member of the Phi Eta Sigma national honor society (all disciplines, first-year students).  On the court, Kirkland posted a 7-0 a record in singles play, which included a 5-0 mark at the third flight, leading to an All-ODAC First Team honor.  She was also 2-0 from the second flight.

In doubles action, Meighan and Kirkland are the top-rated duo in the Atlantic South, having posted an 11-2 overall record that includes an 8-2 showing from the top flight and a 3-0 mark at #2 doubles.  Four of the pair's wins have come against regionally ranked opponents, including the second and sixth-ranked squads from their own region in Sewanee's Jenny Liles and Lindsey Liles and Carnegie Mellon's Motie and Bryn Raschke, respectively.  Meighan and Kirkland have also topped Trinity (Texas) duo Knoop and Thavindra Ekanayake, who are sixth in the West, and DePauw's Maggie MacPhail and Caroline Emhardt, who are eighth in the Central.

Fainter, in his second season guiding the Maroons' women's tennis program, led Roanoke to a 14-4 overall record and a 10-1 league mark on the way to the second seed in the ODAC Tournament.  RC reached the conference finals for the first time in program history in 2013.  The Maroons are currently ranked 19th in the Atlantic South Region, with top singles player and All-ODAC First Team honoree, sophomore Jennifer Antoszyk, ranked 15th individually.

Yousif, a freshman from Waxhaw, N.C., put together a 10-7 record that includes an 8-4 mark from the top flight this spring.  She also posted a pair of wins at #2 singles and a 5-3 mark against ODAC competition, which led to an All-ODAC Third Team spot.  She helped lead a VWC squad that featured four first year players to the fifth seed in the conference tournament and a spot in the ODAC semifinals.  Midway through the season, Yousif put together a seven-match singles winning streak that included four wins over conference opponents.  In doubles play, Yousif was 11-10 overall, playing mostly with classmate Victory Ryherd.  The duo went 6-3 from the top flight and 4-2 against league foes, paving the way to third team recognition.

For more information on ODAC Women's Tennis, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.  Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow the ODAC on Twitter at @odacathletics.

2013 ALL-ODAC WOMEN'S TENNIS TEAMS
ODAC Player of the Year: Sonja Meighan, So., Washington and Lee
ODAC Coach of the Year: Justin Fainter, Roanoke
ODAC Rookie of the Year: Sara Yousif, Fr., Virginia Wesleyan
ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete: Patricia Kirkland, So., Washington and Lee

All-ODAC First Team
#1 Singles: Jennifer Antoszyk, So., Roanoke
#1 Singles: Sonja Meighan, So, Washington and Lee
#2 Singles: Meghan Buell, So., Washington and Lee
#2 Singles: Corbin Leitch, Sr., Roanoke
#3 Singles: Patricia Kirkland, So., Washington and Lee
#4 Singles: Kerry Cotter, Sr., Washington and Lee
#5 Singles: Jen Hall, Sr., Washington and Lee
#6 Singles: Chelsea Mixon, Jr., Washington and Lee
#1 Doubles: Karen Montoya, Sr., and Priscila Montoya, Jr., Hollins
#1 Doubles: Patricia Kirkland, So., and Sonja Meighan, So., Washington and Lee
#2 Doubles: Meghan Buell, So., and Cameron Dorsey, Jr., Washington and Lee
#3 Doubles: Claire Cahill, Jr., and Chelsea Mixon, Jr., Washington and Lee

All-ODAC Second Team
#1 Singles: Katie Gordon, Jr., Bridgewater
#1 Singles: Karen Montoya, Sr., Hollins
#2 Singles: Patricia Verdozoto, So., Randolph
#3 Singles: Laura Dodson, Sr., Roanoke
#4 Singles: Briell Smith, Fr., Roanoke
#5 Singles: Kristen McDowell, Fr., Roanoke
#6 Singles: Miranda Donovan, Sr., Bridgewater
#1 Doubles: Katie Gordon, Jr., and Marla O'Bryan, So., Bridgewater
#1 Doubles: Jennifer Antoszyk, So., and Corbin Leitch, Sr., Roanoke
#2 Doubles: Laura Dodson, Sr., and Briell Smith, Fr., Roanoke
#3 Doubles: Miranda Donovan, Sr., and Rita Murphy, Sr., Bridgewater

All-ODAC Third Team
#1 Singles: Angelina Sportelli, Fr., Randolph-Macon
#1 Singles: Sara Yousif, Fr., Virginia Wesleyan
#2 Singles: Priscila Montoya, Jr., Hollins
#3 Singles: Victoria Coffee, So., Hollins
#4 Singles: Jessie Mitchell, Jr., Bridgewater
#5 Singles: Olivia Stone, Sr., Bridgewater
#6 Singles: Kaitlyn Diskerud, Fr., Roanoke
#1 Doubles: Courtney Owens, Sr., and Angelina Sportelli, Fr., Randolph-Macon
#1 Doubles: Victoria Ryherd, Fr., and Sara Yousif, Fr., Virginia Wesleyan
#2 Doubles: Victoria Coffee, So., and Sarah Grace McCormick, So., Hollins
#3 Doubles: Brianna Carroll, So., and Kristen McDowell, Fr., Roanoke