Women's Tennis | 10/20/2021 9:57:58 AM
Russell Sage College first-year standout
Maddie Cherry swept Empire 8 Player and Rookie of the Year honors, as the league announced its 2021 Women’s Tennis All-Conference awards on Wednesday, October 20. Nazareth head coach
Paul Waida was named Coach of the Year for the second straight year. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
For a complete list of all-conference members and award winners, please see below. Nazareth, St. John Fisher and Hartwick led the way with two student-athletes who earned first team selections. The Nazareth duo of sophomore
Aliya Guzman and freshman
Claire Pullen, along with Hartwick sophomore standout
Jade Killikelly and St. John Fisher first-year star
Keely Legnard garnered first team honors in both singles and doubles.
Cherry burst onto the Empire 8 scene by finishing a perfect 9-0 overall and 5-0 in Empire 8 play at first singles, while combining to win seven doubles matches. Cherry held her opponents to just seven total games won against her over her first seven singles matches. Cherry was also named the Empire 8 Women’s Tennis Player of the Week on September 20 and September 27.
Cherry becomes the fifth player in Empire 8 Women’s Tennis history and second in just over six months to be named Player and Rookie of the Year in the same season, joining Agatha Malinkowski (Stevens – 2018), Cristina Nunez (Ithaca – 2009), Caitlin Castle (Ithaca – 2005) and Aliya Guzman (Nazareth – Spring 2021).
Waida was named 2021 Empire 8 Coach of the Year after leading Nazareth to its sixth Empire 8 Championship and second this calendar year. The Golden Flyers went 9-1 overall this, including a 6-0 mark in league play, before defeating Houghton and Hartwick in the Empire 8 Tournament to claim the title and earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Championship, which takes place in May, 2022. Seven of his student-athletes earned All-Empire 8 accolades in 2021. It is Waida’s third Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year award, as he was also honored in 2017 and Spring 2021.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2021 Women's Tennis Sportswoman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference 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.
2021 Empire 8 Women’s Tennis All-Conference Selections
Player of the Year: Maddie Cherry, Fr., Russell Sage
Rookie of the Year: Maddie Cherry, Fr., Russell Sage
Coach of the Year: Paul Waida, Nazareth
Empire 8 First Team – Singles
Jade Killikelly, So., Hartwick
Erin Haley, Sr., Houghton
Aliya Guzman, So., Nazareth
Claire Pullen, Fr. Nazareth
Maddie Cherry, Fr., Russell Sage
Keely Legnard, Fr., St. John Fisher
Empire 8 First Team – Doubles
Jade Killikelly, So./Victoria Wilson, Sr., Hartwick
Aliya Guzman, So./Claire Pullen, Fr., Nazareth
Maddie Galvin, So./Keely Legnard, Fr., St. John Fisher
Empire 8 Second Team – Singles
Lauren Boshart, Sr., Alfred
Ryann Ashby, Fr., Hartwick
Lily Bulkeley, Fr., Nazareth
Lauren Carr, Sr., Nazareth
Maddie Galvin, So., St. John Fisher
Kathryn Strait, So., St. John Fisher
Empire 8 Second Team – Doubles
Ryann Ashby, Fr./Valerie Kohberger, Fr., Hartwick
Elise Swanson, Jr./Erin Haley, Sr., Houghton
Theresa Hecht, Jr./Gwen Burns, Fr., Nazareth
Empire 8 Third Team – Singles
Abigail Call, Fr., Alfred
Colleen Marsh, Fr., Hartwick
Elise Swanson, Jr., Houghton
Tessa Brown, Sr., Houghton
Kathryn Spath, So., Nazareth
Jackie Chouinard, Sr., St. John Fisher
Empire 8 Third Team – Doubles
Abigail Call, Fr./Anna Gwozdz, So., Alfred
Maddie Cherry, Fr./Taylor Gillespie, Sr., Russell Sage
Kathryn Strait, So./Mikayla Santulli, Sr., St. John Fisher
Empire 8 Sportswoman of the Year
Lauren Boshart, Sr., Alfred
Colleen Marsh, Fr., Hartwick
Sophia Yescott, Sr., Houghton
Theresa Hecht, Jr., Nazareth
Taylor Gillespie, Sr., Sage
Elizabeth Schneider, Sr., St. John Fisher
Morgan Willis, Jr., Utica