April 28, 2003
The Illinois men's and women's tennis teams took some time to celebrate the past year's accomplishments at the tenth annual Advantage Illinois Tennis Awards Banquet at the Hawthorn Suites Hotel in Champaign Monday night. The awards were voted on by players, coaches and support staff.
On the women's team, which is 16-6 and 9-3 in the Big Ten, junior Tiffany Eklov was voted team MVP. The Reno, Nev, native leads the Illini with 26 singles wins, including a current nine-match winning streak. In addition, Eklov finished 10-1 in Big Ten singles play and has moved into the top-100 of the national rankings this week, coming in at No. 88.
Sophomore Cynthya Goulet earned the team Scholar-Athlete award by virtue of her perfect 4.0 grade point average (G.P.A.) in the College of Business. Senior Michelle Webb received her second Strength and Conditioning award while Jennifer McGaffigan took home the Fighting Illini Spirit award.
Brianna Knue was recognized as the team's Player to Watch next season. The freshman's 22 singles wins are third on the team this season and the most by an Illini freshman since McGaffigan won 30 in 2000-01. Freshman Pavlina Akritas, who has spent the season rehabbing from fall knee surgery was named the team's Most Improved Player.
The men's tennis team, finished the season with an untarnished 26-0 record, and won its seventh consecutive Big Ten regular season crown and its sixth Big Ten tournament championship in the last seven seasons.
The men's Most Valuable Player award was given to junior standout Brian Wilson. Wilson's 31-4 singles record is highlighted by a phenomenal 19 match win streak that dates back to November. The San Marcos. Calif. native went a perfect 9-0 in Big Ten singles competition and is currently ranked 12th nationally in singles and ninth in doubles.
Junior Michael Calkins was the night's only two-time winner, taking home the Strength and Conditioning Award as well as the Fighting Illini Spirit Award. Freshman Pramod Dabir the recipient of the team's Scholar-Athlete with a 3.89 G.P.A. in the College of Engineering. Sophomore Chris Martin, who is 28-9 on the year, was named the Most Improved Player while freshman Rajeev Ram accepted the Player to Watch award.
Both teams return to action May 9-11 for the NCAA regionals. Sites and seedings will be announced Wednesday April 30th at 3:30 p.m. CST. The pairings can be seen on the ESPNEWS channel.
