May 12, 2010
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Texas A&M's Elzé Potgieter and Nazari Urbina have been named to the All-Big 12 women's tennis team for both singles and doubles, the conference office announced today.
Potgieter, a senior from Bloemfontein, South Africa, receives the singles honor for the third consecutive year and is making her first appearance on the all-conference doubles team. Urbina, a freshman from Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, is one of two freshmen on the 12-member All-Big 12 singles team and joins partner Potgieter as one of seven duos to receive doubles accolades.
Recently it was announced that both Potgieter and Urbina will represent the Aggies at the NCAA Division I Women's Singles Championships, and they are listed as alternates in the NCAA Division I Women's Doubles Championships.
Potgieter is currently ranked No. 56 in the nation in singles and has been ranked as high as No. 33 this season. She played all but three matches at the No. 1 line, where she is 11-10. Potgieter, who opened the spring season with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over then-No. 9 Josipa Bek of Clemson, is 20-14 overall, and her 90 career victories ranks seventh in the A&M records.
In doubles, Potgieter and Urbina have been ranked as high as No. 29 this spring, and the pair is currently No. 34 after going 13-7 at the No. 1 line, including 7-3 in Big 12 matches only. They are 16-8 overall, including 4-5 against nationally ranked doubles teams.
Urbina, the Big 12 Conference No. 2 singles champion with a 10-0 record, has been listed in every ITA National Singles Rankings that has been published this spring, having been ranked as high as No. 47 and currently listed No. 51. She leads A&M players with a 31-5 overall record, including 20-2 in dual matches only. Her 31 wins ties for fourth in the A&M all-time season records for singles victories.
The Big 12 Player of the Week on April 13, Urbina is 1-1 at No. 1 singles, 14-0 at No. 2 and 5-1 at No. 3. She is 8-3 against nationally ranked players, including a straight-set 6-3, 6-4 victory over 18th-ranked Nina Secerbegovic of Baylor on April 14, and she enters the NCAA tournament having won each of her last eight matches.
The All-Big 12 tennis teams and awards are selected by the league's head coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes.
Potgieter and Urbina have led A&M (14-9, 8-3 Big 12) to its 11th consecutive bid to the NCAA Women's Tennis Team Championships. The Aggies face the University of South Florida, Friday, May 14 at 9 a.m. (CT) at the Neil Schiff Tennis Stadium on the University of Miami campus in Coral Gables, Fla.
Live scoring of all A&M women's tennis matches is available at AggieAthletics.com.
2010 ALL-BIG 12 TENNIS AWARDS
WOMEN'S PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Lenka Broosova, Baylor, Sr.*
WOMEN'S NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Sarah Meghoufel, Oklahoma State, Jr.
WOMEN'S FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Aeriel Ellis, Texas, Fr.
WOMEN'S COACH OF THE YEAR
Scott Jacobson, Nebraska
WOMEN'S ALL-BIG 12 TEAM
Singles
Csilla Borsanyi, Baylor, Sr.
Lenka Broosova, Baylor, Sr.*
Taylor Ormond, Baylor, Jr.
Nina Secerbegovic, Baylor, So.
Monica Milewski, Colorado, Sr.
Madeleine Geibert, Nebraska, So.
Mary Weatherholt, Nebraska, So.*
Ana Maria Constantinescu, Oklahoma, Jr.
Aeriel Ellis, Texas, Fr.*
Krista Damico, Texas, So.
Elzé Potgieter, Texas A&M, Sr.
Nazari Urbina, Texas A&M, Fr.
Doubles**
Lenka Broosova/Csilla Borsanyi, Baylor*
Melisa Esposito/Monica Milewski, Colorado
Stefanie Weinstein/Madeleine Geibert, Nebraska
Teona Tsertsvadze/Ana-Maria Constantinescu, Oklahoma
Alisa Buslaieva/Nataliya Shatkovskaya, Oklahoma State
Aeriel Ellis/Vanja Corovic, Texas
Elzé Potgieter/Nazari Urbina, Texas A&M
* - Unanimous Selection
**Ties in voting created additional doubles teams