Santoro, Rossetti Headline GNAC Women's Tennis Year-End Awards
WINTHROP, Mass. - Graduate student Olivia Santoro (Cheshire, Conn.) and freshman Maddie Rossetti (Hamden, Conn.) were named to the All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) First Team in singles play, it was announced by the conference office during its unveiling of the 2024 year-end awards Tuesday afternoon. In addition, junior Liliana Garcia (Wethersfield, Conn.) rounded out the USJ honorees, being selected to the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team. The awards are voted upon by the league's five head coaches.
Santoro enjoyed a dominate year for the Blue Jays, guiding the women's tennis team to its first GNAC Championship match appearance since 1999 while playing at the No. 1 singles position, and at No. 1 doubles alongside Rossetti. The graduate student tallied an overall record of 18-8, posting an identical 9-4 mark in both singles and doubles play. Throughout the year she was named the GNAC Player of the Week twice.
Rossetti was stellar in her debut season, posting a team-best overall record of 22-4 while playing primarily at No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles. The freshman was nearly unbeatable in singles play, boasting a 12-1 record, while also posting an impressive 10-3 mark in doubles matches. During the 2024 campaign, Rossetti earned five weekly conference accolades, being named the GNAC Player of the Week once, and Rookie of the Week four times.
For the complete list of major award winners, all-conference honorees, and all-sportsmanship selections, please see below.
MAJOR AWARDS
Player of the Year - Payton Dugan, Colby-Sawyer
Rookie of the Year - Masha Shutts, Simmons
Coach of the Year - Bob Rauseo, Simmons
Institutional Sportsmanship - Albertus Magnus
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM (SINGLES)
Juju Oliver, Albertus Magnus
Payton Dugan, Colby-Sawyer
Emilie Lapointe, Simmons
Masha Shutts, Simmons
Maddie Rossetti, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Olivia Santoro, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM (DOUBLES)
Emilie Lapointe, Masha Shutts - Simmons
ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Juju Oliver, Albertus Magnus
Avery Nielsen, Colby-Sawyer
Shyann Texiera, Regis
Grace Burke, Simmons
Liliana Garcia, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
About The GNAC
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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