April 27, 2017
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – With the Southeastern Conference regular season title and tournament championship secured on West End, Vanderbilt landed seven representatives on the SEC women’s tennis postseason awards list, the conference announced Thursday.
Vanderbilt’s longest-tenured head coach, Geoff Macdonald, leads the honors by earning his fourth SEC Coach of the Year award. In his 23rd season, Macdonald led Vanderbilt to its first-ever SEC regular season title. After guiding the Dores through one of the hardest schedules in the nation, VU continues postseason play with a 20-5 (12-1) overall record.
Astra Sharma becomes Vanderbilt’s second women’s tennis student-athlete and fourth tennis player in school history to earn the SEC Player of the Year title. In additional to individual honors, Sharma earned a spot on the All-SEC’s First Team. A tireless worker and relentless competitor, the Aussie served as the highest ranked SEC singles player throughout the entire season. Sharma is currently the second ranked singles player in the nation and a member of the No. 2 doubles team (both career highs). Heading into the postseason, “Roo” owns a 90-26 career record, taking 24 ITA ranked singles victories throughout her redshirt-junior season. A semifinalist in both ITA fall national championships, the Commodore will continue to survey individual tournament waters this spring.
Georgina Sellyn is now a two-time SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year. After earning the award for the first time last season, Sellyn graduated with her bachelor’s degree in cognitive neuroscience and will soon earn her master’s in Social Foundations of Health: Medicine, Health and Society. The Glasgow, Scotland native boasts a 3.9 GPA and is the first women’s tennis student-athlete to complete for the black and gold while earning her master’s degree. Sellyn has been published in the American Pediatric Surgical Association and will be published later this year in the Clinical and Cosmetic Results of the Modified Minipterional Craniotomy for Unruptured Aneurysm Clipping.
Emily Smith earned All-SEC First Team recognition after amassing a 13-3 (7-2) dual-match record and 14-2 overall record. The first-year Commodore teams up with Astra Sharma as the No. 2 doubles team in the nation, earning eight ITA ranked doubles wins. The duo clinched the doubles point in matches against Kansas, Northwestern, Arkansas and Auburn. Smith looks to complete in her second NCAA individual tournament and first as a Commodore.
Sydney Campbell earned Vanderbilt’s second SEC tournament MVP title on Sunday and can add a spot on the All-SEC First Team to her growing list of accolades. With 101 victories between courts one and two, Campbell has proven to be one of the toughest and most consistent players in collegiate tennis. The Franklin, Tenn. native boasts a 17-4 (8-20) dual-match record, ranking as high as No. 8 in the country in singles and No. 17 in doubles this season. In addition to her 13 ranked wins this season, Campbell clinched Vanderbilt’s first SEC regular season title in a 7-6(6), 6-4 battle over No. 14 Josie Kuhlman. A 2016 and 2015 USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships quarterfinalist, Campbell looks to continue postseason play following the team tournament with an appearance in the NCAA individual draw.
Fernanda Contreras ends her second season of SEC play with just two combined losses. Going 15-2 (12-1) throughout the spring, the Austin, Texas native earned a career-high singles ranking at No. 69 and doubles ranking at No. 52. Bolstering the lower end of the Vandy singles lineup, Contreras went undefeated on court six in SEC play, 9-0. Against Florida on April 16, the sophomore earned her highest singles win in a 6-2, 6-3 victory over UF’s No. 40 Kourtney Keegan. Contreras hopes to extend her nine-match winning streak when the Commodores host first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament. On Sunday, Contreras clinched Vandy its second SEC tournament championship in three years.
Christina Rosca is the fourth Commodore since 2014 to earn a place on the SEC’s All-Freshman team. Following an extremely impressive fall showing, the Princeton, N.J native debuted in ITA singles rankings at No. 28 in the nation and No. 53 in doubles with Sydney Campbell. This past Sunday, Rosca become the third freshman Commodore to earn a coveted spot on the SEC All-Tournament team in as many years. The freshman rallied to defeat the 2016 SEC Player of the Year, Brooke Austin, in the tournament finale to hold the Gators at bay and even the match score to 3-all. Rosca continues her debut season with a 25-10 mark.
Vanderbilt will learn its NCAA tournament seed in less than one week during the NCAA selection show, which airs May 2 at 4:30 p.m. CT. WATCH LIVE