Stevens Institute of Technology Jessica Bourque was named the Empire 8 Player of the Year for the third time in her career as part of the 2014 E8 Women's Tennis All-Conference awards. Elmira newcomer Kim Salkin garnered Rookie of the Year accolades, while Ithaca College mentor Bill Austin was tabbed the Coach of the Year.
Bourque recorded a perfect record of 7-0 in first singles play in dual matches during the fall as she guided the Ducks to a perfect 10-0 regular season mark to secure the top seed in the Empire 8 Tournament. She was equally impressive with partner Alexis Connor as they went 7-1 in doubles action; 7-0 in dual matches and 0-1 in tournament play. Bourque is the second E8 tennis athlete to earn Player of the Year honors three times (2011, 2013, 2014) joining Ithaca’s Cristina Nunez who won the honor in 2009, 2010 and 2012.
Salkin is the first Rookie of the Year from Elmira College since the conference began in 2001. She went a combined 7-4 in regular season singles and tournament play this fall including a 5-2 mark against Empire 8 foes at first singles. In dual match doubles action, Salkin went 5-2 with partner Ayaka Yoshino at first doubles as the Soaring Eagles made their second consecutive Empire 8 Conference Tournament appearance.
Austin was named the Coach of the Year for the ninth time as he led the Bombers to its 10th consecutive Empire 8 title and earned automatic qualification into the 2015 NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championships. Ithaca concluded the fall season with a 10-1 overall record and a 7-1 mark in the Empire 8 regular season. Ithaca qualified to the E8 tournament as the second-seed and defeated Elmira, 6-2, in the semifinals and they rallied from a deficit after doubles matches and went on to a 5-3 victory over Stevens in the championship match.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2014 Women’s Tennis Sportswoman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportswomen.
2014 Empire 8 Women’s Tennis All-Conference Teams