Cohen Earns ITA National Player of the Year Award
June 8, 2007
Coral Gables, Fla. – University of Miami’s Audra Cohen was named the 2007 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Player of the Year, it was announced Friday.
This marks Cohen’s second consecutive ITA National Player of the Year award. Cohen is the fifth player to repeat as ITA National Women’s Player of the Year, joining Trinity’s Gretchen Rush (1984-85), Florida’s Lisa Raymond (1992-93), Stanford’s Laura Granville (2000-01) and Stanford’s Amber Liu (2003-04). Miami has now had the last three National Player of the Year Honorees with Megan Bradley also receiving the award in 2005, equaling the longest streak by a school since Stanford had three straight winners from 1989-91.
Cohen, a junior from Plantation, Fla., who is forgoing her senior season for the professional tour, captured the NCAA singles title last week, completing a 42-2 season with a 27-2 mark against nationally ranked opponents that also saw her win the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor singles title in November. A three-time ITA All-American in singles, Cohen completed her collegiate career with a 127-11 record. Recently, Cohen received the Honda Sports Award for tennis, and is now automatically nominated for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year Award.
In this year’s conference match-ups, Cohen posted a perfect 11-0 record en route to ACC Player of the Year honors, and her second All-ACC team honor. Her impressive performance at the NCAA Singles Championships also earned her a spot on the 2007 All-NCAA Team for the second time in her career.
Cohen finished the season ranked No. 19 in doubles alongside freshman Laura Vallverdu, as the duo finished 21-4, tallying a 14-match unbeaten streak in the spring including 11 at the No. 1 position and three wins at the No. 2 spot. Cohen also marks a second doubles ranking with junior Caren Seenauth, who are ranked No. 33. The doubles tandem finished with a 13-1 mark in the dual season at the No. 2 doubles spot. Overall, Cohen wrapped-up the season with a 31-4 doubles record.
Past ITA National Players of the Year:
1982 – Vicki Nelson, Rollins
1983 – Beth Herr, Southern California
1984 – Gretchen Rush, Trinity (Texas)
1985 – Gretchen Rush, Trinity (Texas)
1986 – Caroline Kuhlman, Southern California
1987 – Patty Fendick, Stanford
1988 – Halle Cioffi, Florida
1989 – Tami Whitlinger, Stanford
1990 – Debbie Graham, Stanford
1991 – Sandra Birch, Stanford
1992 – Lisa Raymond, Florida
1993 – Lisa Raymond, Florida
1994 – Angela Lettiere, Georgia
1995 – Keri Phebus, UCLA
1996 – Jill Craybas, Florida
1997 – Lilia Osterloh, Stanford
1998 – Vanessa Webb, Duke
1999 – Zuzana Lesenarova, San Diego
2000 – Laura Granville, Stanford
2001 – Laura Granville, Stanford
2002 – Bea Bielik, Wake Forest
2003 – Amber Liu, Stanford
2004 – Amber Liu, Stanford
2005 – Megan Bradley, Miami (Fla.)
2006 – Audra Cohen, Miami (Fla.)
