April 29, 2011
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IOWA CITY, Iowa – – University of Iowa junior Sonja Molnar was unanimously named first team all-Big Ten Thursday night at the annual banquet held during the Big Ten Conference Women’s Tennis Tournament. Molnar was one of five athletes to be a unanimous selection to the 12-member first team. With the honor, Molnar became just the fourth Hawkeye in program history to be named all-Big Ten three times, joining Meg Racette (2004-2006), Toni Neykova (1999-2002) and Laura Dvorak (1992-1995). Molnar has been a unanimous selection on all three occasions.
Molnar, currently ranked No. 103 by the ITA, compiled a 27-11 overall record during her 2010-11 campaign. The 27 wins included four victories against opponents currently ranked in the top 100 of the ITA poll. The Guelph, Ontario, native played at the No.1 positions in every Iowa dual match, posting a 16-6 record. In Big Ten play, Molnar ended the regular season 7-3 and defeated Minnesota’s Natallia Pintusova, the No. 83 player in the country, in the first round of conference tournament to avenge an Oct. 24 loss at the ITA Central Regional. Molnar also recorded a 20-10 mark in doubles while teaming with seniors Lynne Poggensee-Wei and Jessica Young. Molnar and Young appeared at No. 29 in the ITA’s most recent doubles rankings.
Senior Alexis Dorr was also recognized by the Big Ten at the annual banquet, as she was awarded with the 2011 Sportsmanship Award. The award honors student-athletes who display sportsmanship and ethical behavior, are in good academic standing and demonstrate good citizenship outside of athletics. Dorr compiled a 14-17 singles record and an 11-17 doubles record in 2010-11.
The Hawkeyes season ended on April 28 in the first round of the 2011 Big Ten Conference Women’s Tennis Tournament. Iowa fell 4-2 to Minnesota at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor, Mich.
WOMEN’S TENNIS ALL-BIG TEN TEAMS
First Team All-Big Ten
Rachael White, Illinois
Leslie Hureau, Indiana
Evgeniya Vertesheva, Indiana
SONJA MOLNAR, Iowa
BROOKE BOLENDER, Michigan
Sam Critser, Michigan
DENISE MURESAN, Michigan
Whitney Taney, Michigan
MARIA MOSOLOVA, Northwestern
BELINDA NIU, Northwestern
Kate Turvy, Northwestern
Petra Januskova, Penn State
Second Team All-Big Ten
Amy Allin, Illinois
Amy Barton, Michigan State
Natallia Pintusava, Minnesota
Brittany Wowchuk, Northwestern
Kelsey Haviland, Ohio State
Jennifer Rabot, Purdue
Bhavani Tirumurti, Purdue
Jenny Hois, Wisconsin
Unanimous selections in CAPS
Additional honorees due to a tie
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Athlete of the Year: Denise Muresan, Michigan
Freshman of the Year: Brooke Bolender, Michigan
Coach of the Year: Ronni Bernstein, Michigan
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES
Rachael White, Illinois
Kayla Fujimoto, Indiana
Alexis Dorr, Iowa
Mimi Nguyen, Michigan
Dana Guentert, Michigan State
Mariana Spilca, Minnesota
Nida Hamilton, Northwestern
Fidan Manashirova, Ohio State
Marie-Frederique Bedard, Penn State
Imogen Golder, Purdue
Aleksandra Markovic, Wisconsin