Elon's men's and women's tennis coaches have received Coach of the Year awards and several Phoenix athletes have received All-Conference recognition.
Elon University head women’s tennis coach Elizabeth Anderson and men’s tennis coach Michael Leonard have been named Colonial Athletic Association Coaches of the Year. The Phoenix women’s team placed three on the All-Conference teams and the men placed five on All-Conference teams, while men’s player Felipe Sarrasague was named CAA Rookie of the Year. The awards were announced April 20.
Women’s tennis honors
Coach Elizabeth Anderson is currently in her 12th season at the helm and earned her first-career conference Coach of the Year award. Under her guidance, the team posted a 13-9 overall record this season and the team is on an eight-match winning streak entering the CAA Championships. The Phoenix also finished the season with a 5-1 mark against conference opponents.
Elon had three players earn spots on the All-Conference teams. Olivia Lucas and Erica Braschi earned first team honors in singles, Braschi and her doubles partner Taylor Casey were named to the second team in doubles, and Casey was placed on the All-Academic team.
“We are very honored for our players to be recognized by the conference,” said coach Anderson. “The individual awards are a reflection of the hard work of the entire team and teammates pushing each other to improve on a daily basis.”
Lucas earned her second consecutive CAA singles first team honor and enters this week’s CAA Women’s Tennis Championship with an overall singles record of 11-9 this season. The native of Greenville, S.C. is riding a seven match-winning streak in singles play entering the championships. Lucas was also named CAA Player of the Week on April 5.
Braschi has had a tremendous campaign for the Phoenix, posting a 15-4 mark in singles play and earned CAA Co-Player of the Week honors on March 22. Braschi is currently on an incredible 11-match winning streak in singles action and has primary played at the No. 2 position this season.
Rounding out this year’s Elon honorees is senior Taylor Casey, who was named to the CAA second team in doubles with Braschi and earned a spot on the All-Academic Team for 2016. The Duluth, Ga. native completed the regular season with six singles victories and had a 7-6 record in doubles action.
Men’s tennis honors
Leonard was named the conference’s Coach of the Year after guiding the Phoenix to a 16-5 record this season. It is the sixth time in his 12 years at Elon that he has earned Coach of the Year honors. His last award was in 2014 when he earned the same honor in the Southern Conference. Leonard has also helped the Phoenix to 16 or more wins in a season in three of the last four seasons.
Sarrasague was also named first-team All-CAA in singles along with fellow freshman Mario Paccini. Paccini earned 12 singles playing at both No. 1 and No. 2 positions. The Madrid, Spain native ended the regular season on a four-match winning streak and won seven of his last ten matches.
Elon’s top doubles duo of Petar Tomic and Chris Humphreys took home first team All-Conference honors in doubles after finishing with a 10-5 mark during the regular season. The duo also earned CAA Doubles Team of the Week honors on March 3, after helping the Phoenix earn victories against Brown and VCU.
In addition for Elon, senior Robert Lindgren earned All-CAA second team honors in singles. Lindgren has posted his best season in singles action with a 13-5 mark at the No. 3 position. He was also named CAA Player of the Week on March 10.
Lindgren also added CAA second team doubles honors with Paccini. The duo finished with a team-best 11-3 mark in doubles play and ended the regular season on a four match-winning streak. Paccini and Lindgren primarily played at the No. 2 position this season.
Rounding out this year’s Elon honorees is Neal Port, who was named to the CAA All-Academic Team for 2016. The redshirt sophomore partnered up with Salvador Mijares at No. 3 doubles, finishing with a 5-6 record. Port also had a perfect 2-0 record in singles play this season.
“What a great accomplishment for our young team with three singles players and two doubles teams being recognized by the conference,” Leonard said. “They have all worked very hard on their game this season and I am thrilled to see them honored.”
Elon will host the 2016 CAA Men’s Tennis Championships, Thursday-Sunday, April 21-24, at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center and Burlington Tennis Center. The third-seeded Phoenix will face sixth-seeded Hofstra in a quarterfinal match on Friday, April 22, at the Burlington Tennis Center. First serve is set for 1 p.m.