The Empire 8 Athletic Conference has announced the 2017 Women’s Tennis All-Conference teams as voted on by the conference’s coaches. In addition, the Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year have been selected.
Player of the Year: Heidi Rice, Hartwick College
Heidi Rice is the first player from Hartiwck to earn a yearly tennis award in the Empire 8 in the history of the program. Rice recored a 10-2 record in first singles play including a 7-1 mark against conference opponents in dual matches. She was also impressive with partners Kelly Ryan and Kelly Napolitano in doubles action as Rice posted a first doubles record of 9-3.
Rookie of the Year: Kaili Saffran, St. John Fisher College
Kaili Saffran is the first Rookie of the Year from St. John Fisher College in the sport of women’s tennis. Saffran went 10-2 overall in first singles, including a 6-2 mark in the conference. She partnered withi Cassidy Bell at first doubles for an 8-3 overall mark and a 5-3 E8 record. Saffran helped lead the Cardinals to its best season since 2006 and its first E8 tournament appareance since 2011.
Coach of the Year: Paul Waida, Nazareth College
Paul Waida earned the Coach of the Year award for the first time in his career and is just the second Nazareth coach to earn the honor, joining previous receipent Annette Shapiro (2003). The Golden Flyers won the 2017 Empire 8 title for the third time in program history and first time since 2002. Nazareth concluded the fall season with an 11-0 record and an 8-0 mark in the Empire 8 regular season. Nazareth qualified to the E8 tournament as the top-seed and defeated Houghton, 5-0, in the semifinals and they went on to a thrilling 5-4 victory over Stevens in the championship match.
Sportsmanship Team
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2017 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.
Empire 8 2017 Women’s Tennis All-Conference Teams