Feb. 21, 2012
PARK RIDGE, Ill. - University of Illinois junior Rachael White was named Big Ten Athlete of the Week for the first time in her career, the conference office announced Tuesday. The Deerfield, Ill., native knocked off the nation's third-ranked doubles tandem and cruised to a singles victory in Illinois' 4-3 loss to No. 23 Notre Dame on Sunday.
White got off to a strong start, teaming up with sophomore Allison Falkin to take down No. 3 Kristy Frilling and Shannon Mathews in an 8-5 upset at the No. 1 spot, which clinched the doubles point for the Orange and Blue. White followed up her stellar doubles performance with a 6-0, 7-5 win in singles, giving Illinois a 3-2 lead going into the final two singles matches of the day.
The award marks the first for an Illini since Illinois graduate Megan Fudge garnered the honor on April 13, 2010.
The Orange and Blue will be back in action this weekend at the Blue-Gray National Tennis Classic, Feb. 24-26 in Montgomery, Ala. The Illini will face Princeton in a first-round matchup this Friday at 8:30 a.m. CT.
