Katarina Zorocic W&M

Emily Fraser Virginia

Mark Wesselink Richmond

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:  Chris Kowalczyk, VCU
(804) 828-8818

August 18, 2009


W&M’S Zoricic Named Women's Tennis Player of the Year; Wesselink Tabbed Top Coach

RICHMOND, Va. – William & Mary senior Katarina Zoricic (Etobicoke, Ontario) collected Player of the Year honors Tuesday, when the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) released their University Division All-State Women’s Tennis Team. Richmond’s Mark Wesselink was named Coach of the Year, while Virginia freshman Emily Fraser (Rye, N.Y.) scooped the Rookie of the Year award.

2009 VaSID University Division Women's Tennis All-State Team

Zoricic, an All-Colonial Athletic Association First Team Singles pick, won 21 matches this season, including four over nationally-ranked foes. She was ranked as high as No. 86 during the year in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s (ITA) Singles Poll. Zoricic has been selected to the VaSID All-State First Team each of her four years.

A William & Mary player has captured the title of State Player of the Year in four consecutive seasons. Former Tribe All-American Megan Moulton-Levy won the previous three awards (2006-08).

Wesselink recently completed his 20^th season with the Spiders. In 2009, he led Richmond to a 17-6 record its sixth Atlantic 10 championship. The Spiders advanced to the first round of the NCAA Tournament, where they met eventual national champion Duke. For his efforts, Wesselink picked up his fifth A-10 Coach of the Year award.

Fraser jumped immediately into the fray at Virginia, where she assumed the Cavaliers No. 1 singles position. The Rye, N.Y. native recorded a 27-13 singles mark and was named All-ACC. She finished the season with the ITA’s No. 76 singles ranking.

Joining Zoricic on the VaSID First Team were teammate Ragini Acharya (Pulaski, Va.), Old Dominion’s Nadine Fahoum (Haifa, Israel) and Charleen Haarhoff (Durban, South Africa), Fraser and Kateryna Yergina (Kiev, Ukraine) of Virginia Commonwealth University.

Zoricic and Acharya also earned a First Team Doubles spot, as did Haarhoff and Fahoum. Fraser and teammate Jennifer Stevens (Miami, Fla.), secured the final doubles honor for Virginia.