05-23-2018, 12:25 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-23-2018, 12:49 PM by ColoradoTree.)
The ITA's annual national awards just came out, and Lele Forood is the Coach of the Year, while Michaela Gordon is the Rookie of the Year.
The write-up for Lele:
And for Michaela:
As the national award winners, they also won the same awards for the Northwest Region (the ITA does regional awards, too). Congrats!
In the final ITA team rankings of the year (the final singles/doubles rankings will come out after the current tournament), Stanford obviously finished first, but here's how the rest of the Pac-12 looked:
1. Stanford
10. UCLA
28. Oregon
36. Arizona State
42. Washington State
43. Washington
49. USC
52. Cal
The final team rankings go to 75, while most of the season they only go to 50. Only Arizona, Colorado, and Utah finished the season outside the top 75. (Colorado's future looks even dimmer after its lone bright spot this year, #1 player Linda Huang, announced she was transferring to Rice. Her former classmate in high school in Australia was a freshman at Rice this year, which helps explain it, I suppose, but Colorado had three other Australians on this year's roster, so culture shock couldn't have been too severe. And goodness, it puts Colorado's place in the NCAA tennis firmament in rather stark relief, as it's not like Rice is that good--it finished 44th and barely made the tournament this year. But when both the tennis and the academics are better at Rice, I can't judge Huang for the move.)
The write-up for Lele:
Quote:Forood guided Stanford to its 19th NCAA National Championship in program history in 2018, as the No. 15 Cardinal edged No. 1 Vanderbilt 4-3 in a thrilling women’s team final. Forood was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year, earning her sixth conference coach of the year honor but first since 2011. The Cardinal posted an 18-3 overall record and went 9-0 in Pac-12 play for the program's 11th undefeated conference slate. The Cardinal was without the services of junior All-American Melissa Lord due to injury, as she did not compete until the final week of March. Forood was instrumental in providing leadership to a young roster without a senior in its starting singles or doubles lineups. Stanford won its second straight Pac-12 Tournament title, collecting its third consecutive conference title overall for the first time since a similar stretch in 2010-12. On April 27, Stanford picked up win No. 1,000 in program history, defeating Washington State 4-0 in the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament. During Forood's coaching tenure, the Cardinal has compiled a 438-43 record, participated in 17 NCAA Tournaments and captured nine NCAA team championships, the last two coming as a No. 15 seed (2016 and 2018).
And for Michaela:
Quote:At the time of awards nominations, Gordon had posted a 21-8 overall record, including a 12-7 mark in dual matches. She was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Stanford's first selection since 2011. She is ranked No. 15 nationally. Has played all of her dual matches at the top spot of the lineup, serving as a stabilizing force while junior All-American Melissa Lord was out due to injury. Selected to compete in the NCAA National Singles Championship. Ranks second on the team with four clinchers. Was 11-3 against Pac-12 players and 8-6 against nationally-ranked opponents. ITA Northwest Regional Championships singles champion in her collegiate debut.
As the national award winners, they also won the same awards for the Northwest Region (the ITA does regional awards, too). Congrats!
In the final ITA team rankings of the year (the final singles/doubles rankings will come out after the current tournament), Stanford obviously finished first, but here's how the rest of the Pac-12 looked:
1. Stanford
10. UCLA
28. Oregon
36. Arizona State
42. Washington State
43. Washington
49. USC
52. Cal
The final team rankings go to 75, while most of the season they only go to 50. Only Arizona, Colorado, and Utah finished the season outside the top 75. (Colorado's future looks even dimmer after its lone bright spot this year, #1 player Linda Huang, announced she was transferring to Rice. Her former classmate in high school in Australia was a freshman at Rice this year, which helps explain it, I suppose, but Colorado had three other Australians on this year's roster, so culture shock couldn't have been too severe. And goodness, it puts Colorado's place in the NCAA tennis firmament in rather stark relief, as it's not like Rice is that good--it finished 44th and barely made the tournament this year. But when both the tennis and the academics are better at Rice, I can't judge Huang for the move.)