Frog Tennis Teams Honor Season Award Winners
5/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
May 11, 2010
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FORT WORTH - TCU's men's and women's tennis programs celebrated the 2009-10 season while recognizing their annual award winners Monday evening during the teams' awards banquet at the Meyer-Martin Athletic Complex.
Both men's and women's squads celebrated 2010 Mountain West Conference titles two weeks ago in Las Vegas, Nev. The wins boosted the squads to the NCAA Team Championships, as the Frog women open up play in the first round Friday against South Carolina in Tallahassee, Fla., while the TCU men play Ole Miss the same day in College Station, Texas.
Among those recognized at the banquet were two seniors who are finishing up their TCU careers this spring in Kelubia Mabatah and Nina Munch-Soegaard. Munch-Soegaard led all honorees by taking home three awards for the women's team, including the Tut Bartzen MVP Award, Bayard H. Friedman Sportsmanship Award and Charles P. Ludwig "Find A Way" Award.
The Amarillo, Texas native will make her second-straight appearance at the 2010 NCAA Singles Championship bracket after boasting a 14-12 overall record this spring. The all-MWC singles honoree posted a 6-2 record against the conference this season and owns a career singles ledger of 95-44, one win shy of matching former Frog Teresa Dobson for the fifth-most victories in school history.
Also receiving honors for the women's squad were junior Katariina Tuohimaa, the team's Most Improved Player, and sophomore Kayla Duncan, the Follett Academic Achievement Award winner. Duncan and Tuohimaa teamed up for all-MWC doubles accolades for the second year in a row, posting a 13-6 record this spring, including a 5-1 clip against the nationally ranked teams. TCU has now sent a doubles team to the Championships in each of the last six seasons.
Sophomore Slah Mbarek was named the men's winner of the Tut Bartzen MVP Award after posting a team-best .667 winning percentage in singles (12-6) prior to missing the final month of the season due to injury. Junior Emanuel Brighiu took home the Charles P. Ludwig Find A Way Award after helping propel the men's team to their MWC title with a perfect combined 6-0 record in singles and doubles during the conference tournament. Brighiu also received the Bayard H. Friedman Sportsmanship Award.
Junior Christopher Price, who advanced to the NCAA Individual Championships in doubles along with partner Brighiu, was named the men's Most Improved Player Award. Fellow junior Cameron Nash, a 4.0 student, was honored with the Follett Academic Achievement Award.
2009-10 TCU MEN'S TENNIS AWARD WINNERS
Tut Bartzen MVP Award - Slah Mbarek
Charles P. Ludwig Find A Way Award - Emanuel Brighiu
Most Improved Award - Christopher Price
Bayard H. Friedman Sportsmanship Award - Emanuel Brighiu
Follett Academic Achievement Award - Cameron Nash
2009-10 TCU WOMEN'S TENNIS AWARD WINNERS
Tut Bartzen MVP Award - Nina Munch-Soegaard
Charles P. Ludwig Find A Way Award - Nina Munch-Soegaard
Most Improved Award - Katariina Tuohimaa
Bayard H. Friedman Sportsmanship Award - Nina Munch-Soegaard
Follett Academic Achievement Award - Kayla Duncan
Players Mentioned
