ITA Announces National Award Winners

Georgia's John Isner wins National Senior Player of the Year

May 22, 2007

Courtesy of Intercollegiate Tennis Association

ATHENS, Ga. - The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced the national award winners for NCAA Division I tennis Tuesday during a ceremony at the University of Georgia's Rankin M. Smith Student-Athlete Center.

This year's ITA national award winners are:

Women's Tennis
Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year - Bryan Shelton of Georgia Tech
ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year - David Anderton of Miami (Fla.)
ITA National Senior Player of the Year - Jenna Long of North Carolina
ITA National Rookie of the Year - Sarah Fansler of Southern California
ITA National Player to Watch - (co-winners) Megan Falcon of LSU and Georgia Rose of Northwestern
ITA/Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship - Danielle Mousseau of Minnesota
ITA/Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship - Megan Moulton-Levy of William & Mary

Men's Tennis
Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year - to be announced later this week
ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year - Mark Booras of LSU
ITA/Farnsworth National Senior Player of the Year - John Isner of Georgia
ITA National Rookie of the Year - Jesse Levine of Florida
ITA National Player to Watch - Kevin Anderson of Illinois
ITA/Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award - Somdev Devvarman of Virginia
ITA/Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship - Danny Bryan of LSU
ITA/John Van Nostrand Memorial Award - Stephen Bass of Notre Dame

Shelton guided Georgia Tech to the program's first ever No. 1 ranking back in February when it captured the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor title. Last month he guided Tech to its third straight Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship. This week, his third-seeded Yellow Jackets, have advanced to tonight's NCAA final. The Wilson/ITA National Men's Coach of the Year will be announced later this week.

Anderton, the ITA National Women's Assistant Coach of the Year, helped Miami and head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews make their second straight run deep in the NCAA tournament. A year after reaching the NCAA final, Miami fell to Stanford in Saturday's quarterfinals. Booras has helped head coach Jeff Brown and LSU to Top 25 rankings in eight of the nine years he has been on the Tiger staff.

Georgia's Isner, the Senior Player of the Year, is ranked No. 1 in the nation in singles and doubles and has guided UGA to today's NCAA men's championship match. North Carolina's Long is No. 10 and 2 in the Fila singles and doubles rankings, respectively. Unranked through her first two seasons, she is one of the most improved players in the country over the last four years.

Florida's Levine has turned in one of the top rookie campaigns in recent memory. At No. 3 in the Fila singles and doubles rankings, he rolled off a 21-match win streak in singles to open his career. USC's Fansler is the highest ranked freshman in the nation at No. 11, registering a 32-9 record this season.

The ITA National Player to Watch award goes to a player who has not yet won an ITA national singles title, but is expected to perform at a high level the rest of their careers and contend for national titles. LSU's Falcon has been atop the singles rankings throughout her first season of collegiate tennis. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year is No. 2 in the latest Fila singles rankings and is 33-2 this season. Northwestern's Rose was the Big Ten Player of the Year this past season, going 16-2 in dual matches. She is No. 9 and 13 in the doubles and singles rankings, respectively. Illinois' Anderson has led the Fighting Illini into today's final against Georgia. A 2006 NCAA doubles champion, he is ranked No. 5 in singles and No. 8 in doubles.

Four players received prestigious sportsmanship awards. The ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship goes to a player who has exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements. William & Mary's Moulton-Levy, a senior ITA All-America, is the first woman to receive the Ashe Award in consecutive years. LSU's Bryan, an ITA All-America in doubles this season as a senior, was recently named LSU's Male Volunteer of the Year for his outstanding work in numerous community service projects.

Minnesota senior Mousseau received the ITA/Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship, which goes to a women's player who displays inspiring dedication and commitment to her team, which has enhanced her team's performance and exemplified the spirit of college tennis. Virginia's Devvarman, the nation's second-ranked player in singles and doubles, received the Osuna Award, which goes to a men's player who displays sportsmanship, character, excellent academics and has had outstanding tennis playing accomplishments.

Notre Dame's Bass received the ITA/John Van Nostrand Memorial Award, which awards a stipend to an outstanding senior men's player who plans to pursue a professional tennis career upon graduation.

As the governing body of collegiate tennis the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) promotes both the athletic and academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, which was founded in 1956 and is based in Skillman, N.J., administers numerous regional and national championships, the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit presented by the USTA, and the Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings for Men's and Women's tennis at the NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior College levels. The ITA also has a comprehensive awards program for players and coaches to honor excellence in academics, leadership and sportsmanship.