RICHARDSON –– University of Texas at Tyler senior Beth Launius and Hardin-Simmons University sophomore Lisa Mertz have been voted division players of the year to highlight the 2009 American Southwest Conference women’s tennis awards as voted on by the league’s 13 head coaches, the ASC office announced on Wednesday (April 22).
Launius (LaGrange, TX / LGHS) was named East Division Player of the Year after not dropping a match at No. 1 singles or No. 1 doubles in divisional play. She won 10 singles matches overall also helped the Patriots to the East crown and their second straight ASC title.
Mertz (Cleburne, TX / CHS) earned the title of West Division Player of the Year after putting together a perfect record at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles in divisional play. She also went 10-4 overall in singles and helped the Cowgirls to the West title.
Both Launius and Mertz were also named to their respective division’s First Team at the No. 1 singles position. Mertz was the ASC All-Conference selection at No. 1 singles and a first team West pick at No. 1 doubles with teammate Brittany Brazell. Launius was the ASC All-Conference and first team East selection at No.1 doubles with Michelle Hagler.
Also appearing on the ASC All-Conference Team were Texas-Tyler’s Hagler (No. 2 singles), Lauren Giovannini (No. 4 singles) and Brittany Ude (No. 5 singles). Hardin-Simmons’ Brazell (No. 3 singles) and Danielle Cochran (No. 6 singles) were also selected. HSU’s Jennifer Cheung and Diane Crouch were the No. 2 doubles pick, while Texas-Tyler’sSydni Hermsdorf and Hillary Stone were selected at the No. 3 doubles position to round out the prestigious squad.
LeTourneau University freshman Brittany Trich was named East Division Newcomer of the Year and Sul Ross State University junior Kristina Hernandez earned the award in the West. Texas-Tyler’s Hermsdorf (East) and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor’s Megan Aarhus (West) earned freshman of the year honors. Launius and Mertz doubled as winners of their respective division’s ASC Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year award. Texas-Tyler’s Chris Bizot earned the coach of the year award in the East, while Sul Ross State’s Kay Whitley and HSU’s Shane Williford shared the honor in the West.
The complete list of award winners and teams follow:
AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCEWOMEN’S TENNIS 2009 ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
SINGLES
| No. 1: Lisa Mertz |
So. |
Hardin-Simmons |
Cleburne, TX (CHS) |
| No. 2: Michelle Hagler |
So. |
Texas-Tyler |
Austin, TX (Westwood HS) |
| No. 3: Brittany Brazell |
Jr. |
Hardin-Simmons |
Abilene, TX (Wylie HS) |
| No. 4: Lauren Giovannini |
So. |
Texas-Tyler |
Dallas, TX (Bishop Lynch HS) |
| No. 5: Brittany Ude |
Jr. |
Texas-Tyler |
Corpus Christi, TX (Flour Bluff HS) |
| No. 6: Danielle Cochran |
So. |
Hardin-Simmons |
Grapevine, TX (GHS) |
DOUBLES
| No. 1: Beth Launius & Michelle Hagler |
Texas-Tyler |
| No. 2: Jennifer Cheung & Diane Crouch |
Hardin-Simmons |
| No. 3: Sydni Hermsdorf & Hillary Stone |
Texas-Tyler |
ASC EAST DIVISION HONORS AND AWARDS
East Division Player of the Year:Beth Launius, Sr., University of Texas at Tyler
East Division Newcomer of the Year: Brittany Trich, Fr., LeTourneau University
East Division Freshman of the Year:Sydni Hermsdorf, University of Texas at Tyler
East Division Coach of the Year:Chris Bizot, University of Texas at Tyler
East Division Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year:Beth Launius, Sr., University of Texas at Tyler
(# indicates tie in voting at that position)
ASC ALL-EAST DIVISION
-FIRST TEAM-
Singles
| No. 1: Beth Launius |
Sr. |
Texas-Tyler |
LaGrange, TX (LGHS) |
| No. 2: Michelle Hagler |
So. |
Texas-Tyler |
Austin, TX (Westwood HS) |
| No. 3: Sydni Hermsdorf |
Fr. |
Texas-Tyler |
Spring, TX (Klein HS) |
| No. 4: Lauren Giovammini |
So. |
Texas-Tyler |
Dallas, TX (Bishop Lynch HS) |
|
No. 5: Brittany Ude |
Jr. |
Texas-Tyler |
Corpus Christi, TX (Flour Bluff HS) |
| No. 6: Morgan Wilkins |
Fr. |
Texas-Tyler |
Wimberly, TX (WHS) |
Doubles
| No. 1: Beth Launius & Michelle Hagler |
Texas-Tyler |
| No. 2: Lauren Giovannini & Brittany Ude |
Texas-Tyler |
| No. 3: Sydni Hermsdorf & Hillary Stone |
Texas-Tyler |
-SECOND TEAM-
Singles
| No. 1: Lea Rana |
Sr. |
Ozarks |
Dallas, TX (Bishop HS) |
| No. 2: Emily Newmann |
Jr. |
Mississippi College |
Clinton, MS (CHS) |
| No. 3: Britney Cleveland |
So. |
LeTourneau |
Houston, TX (Booker T Washington HS) |
| No. 4: Susan Heston |
Gr. |
Texas-Dallas |
Dallas, TX (Garland HS) |
| No. 5: Sydney Moak |
So. |
Mississippi College |
Brookhaven, MS (BHS) |
| No. 6: Tania Foster |
So. |
Texas-Dallas |
Sachse, TX (SHS) |
Doubles
| No. 1: Andrea Boyles & Emily Newman |
Mississippi College |
| No. 2: Marigrace DeLoach & Audra Nicholas |
Mississippi College |
| No. 3: Sydney Moak & Claire Cox |
Mississippi College |
-HONORABLE MENTION-
Singles
| No. 1: Brittany Trich |
Fr. |
LeTourneau |
Longview, TX (LHS) |
| No. 2: Jessica Tindall |
Sr. |
LeTourneau |
Van, TX (VHS) |
| No. 4: Audra Nicholas |
So. |
Mississippi College |
Madison, MS (Jackson Prep HS) |
| No. 6: Claire Cox |
Sr. |
Mississippi College |
Brookhaven, MS (BHS) |
Doubles
| No. 1: Lea Rana & Briar Vana |
Ozarks |
| Britney Cleveland & Brittany Trich |
LeTourneau |
| No. 2: Caitlyn Hairell & Jessica Tindall |
LeTourneau |
|
No. 3: Florence Corteza & Hillary Stone |
Texas-Tyler |
ASC WEST DIVISION HONORS AND AWARDS
West Division Player of the Year:Lisa Mertz, So., Hardin-Simmons University
West Division Newcomer of the Year: Kristina Hernandez, Jr., Sul Ross State University
West Division Freshman of the Year:Megan Aarhus, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
West Division Co-Coaches of the Year:
Kay Whitley, Sul Ross State University;Shane Williford, Hardin-Simmons University
West Division Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year:Lisa Mertz, So., Hardin-Simmons University
(# indicates tie in voting at that position)
ASC ALL-WEST DIVISION
-FIRST TEAM-
Singles
| No. 1: Lisa Mertz |
So. |
Hardin-Simmons |
Cleburne, TX (CHS) |
| No. 2: Kayla Smith |
So. |
Howard Payne |
Pasadena, TX (Memorial HS) |
|
No. 3: Brittany Brazell |
Jr. |
Hardin-Simmons |
Abilene, TX (Wylie HS) |
| No. 4: Amber Long |
Jr. |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
Copperas Cove, TX (CCHS) |
| No. 5: Jennifer Cheung |
So. |
Hardin-Simmons |
Abilene, TX (Cooper HS) |
| No. 6: Danielle Cochran |
So. |
Hardin-Simmons |
Grapevine, TX (GHS) |
Doubles
| No. 1: Lisa Mertz & Brittany Brazell |
Hardin-Simmons |
| No. 2: Jennifer Chueng & Diane Crouch |
Hardin-Simmons |
| No. 3: Amber Long & Andrea Wharton |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
-SECOND TEAM-
Singles
| No. 1: Megan Aarhus# |
Fr. |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
Georgetown, TX (GHS) |
|
Laci Fitzgerald# |
Jr. |
Howard Payne |
Gruver, TX (GHS) |
| No. 2: Mallory Aarhus |
Fr. |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
Georgetown, TX (GHS) |
| No. 3: Kristina Hernandez |
Jr. |
Sul Ross State |
Odessa, TX (Permian HS) |
| No. 4: Lauren Jay |
Fr. |
Hardin-Simmons |
Kingwood, TX (KHS) |
| No. 5: Cassie Emerson# |
Fr. |
Howard Payne |
Wills Point, TX (WPHS) |
|
Christi Voss# |
So. |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
Jarrell, TX (JHS) |
| No. 6: Andrea Wharton |
Jr. |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
Groesbeck, TX (GHS) |
Doubles
| No. 1: Megan Arhus & Mallory Aarhus |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
| No. 2: Rebecca Everett & Christi Voss# |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
|
Kathryn Head & Kori Stark# |
Howard Payne |
|
Lauren Ivey & Lauren Lettunich# |
Sul Ross State |
| No. 3: Bria Camarillo & Danielle Cochran |
Hardin-Simmons |
-HONORABLE MENTION-
Singles
| No. 1: Lauren Ivey |
Fr. |
Sul Ross State |
Imperial, TX (Buena Vista HS) |
| No. 2: Christie Gallardo# |
Jr. |
Sul Ross State |
El Paso, TX (Eastwood HS) |
|
Morgan Rainer# |
Fr. |
Hardin-Simmons |
Texarkana, TX (Pleasant Grove HS) |
| No. 3: Kathryn Head |
Fr. |
Howard Payne |
Angelton, TX (AHS) |
|
Rebecca Everett |
So. |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
Breckenridge, TX (BHS) |
| No. 4: Kori Stark |
Fr. |
Howard Payne |
Levelland, TX (LHS) |
| No. 6: Janet Hernandez |
Fr. |
McMurry |
Slaton, TX (SHS) |
Doubles
| No. 2: Gavee Olsen & Hilary Stone |
McMurry |
| No. 3: Cassie Emerson & Laci Fitzgerald |
Howard Payne |