PAC announces all-conference women's tennis teams, annual award winners

Franciscan's Herrera earns second-straight player of the year award

10/27/2022 2:15:00 PM

GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org)--The Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) announced its All-PAC Women’s Tennis teams and yearly award winners Thursday afternoon. 

The all-conference teams, along with this year’s annual award winners and sportsmanship team selections, were decided by a vote of the league’s nine head coaches.

Franciscan University junior Maria Herrera (Dallas, Texas | Clear Brook) was recognized as the PAC Player of the Year for the second-straight year. Saint Vincent College freshman Carolina Walters (Latrobe, Pa. | Greater Latrobe) earned the PAC Newcomer of the Year award, while Allegheny College second-year head coach Dave Hayden claimed PAC Coach of the Year honors.  

Herrera finished the fall season 16-2 overall and 8-0 in the PAC at the No. 1 singles position. She has won her last five matches and eight of her last 10. 

Walters went 12-3 overall and 6-2 in league play at the No. 1 singles position this fall. She has won five-straight matches and is 9-1 in her last 10 matches. 

Hayden led Allegheny to the top seed in the PAC Championship Tournament this fall with an 8-0 league record. After its quarterfinal bye, Allegheny posted a 5-0 decision over No. 4 Westminster College in the semifinal round on October 13. Allegheny captured its first-ever PAC women's championship with its 5-4 win over No. 2 Franciscan on Nov. 15. 

Allegheny announced its return to the PAC on August 23, 2021 after a 38-year run as a founding member of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Allegheny was a PAC member from 1958 through the spring of 1984 and reentered the PAC as its 11th full-time member on July 1, 2022. The PAC did not sponsor women's championship events until the fall of 1984. 

Hayden spent six years as the head coach at Westminster before arriving in Meadville in August 2021. He led Westminster to a pair of PAC titles (2015, 2016) and two NCAA Division III Championships appearances. Hayden was named the PAC Coach of the Year in 2016 and 2020-21.

Herrera had a combined four wins in Franciscan's two championship tournament matches. In a 5-2 semifinal win over No. 3 Grove City College on Oct. 13, she partnered sophomore Olivia Colby (Merrimac, Mass. | Pentucket Regional) to pick up an 8-2 decision over junior Lexi Chappel (Prospect, Pa. | Butler) and senior Maggie Troxel (Wheaton, Ill. | Timothy Christian) at number one doubles. At number one singles, Herrera defeated Chappel 6-0, 6-1 to push Franciscan's lead to 3-1. Against Allegheny, Herrera and Colby defeated senior Ella Swan (Nashville, Tenn. | Hume-Fogg Academic) and junior Jean-Arlette Legrand (San Juan, Puerto Rico | Commonwealth Parkville School) by an 8-2 score at first doubles. Her 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 win over senior Katherine Marks (Argyle, Texas | Liberty Christian) at first singles tied the match at 3-3.

Herrera and Walters were both named to this year's All-Tournament Team. It was Herrera's third-straight year on the All-Tournament Team. 

As the winner of the PAC Championship Tournament, Allegheny will receive the PAC's automatic qualifying bid to the Division III Championships. Team selections will be announced Monday, May 1, 2023. The first round of the Division III Championships is scheduled for Friday, May 5.

2022 All-PAC Women's Tennis
Award Winners
PAC Player of the Year: Franciscan junior Maria Herrera (Houston, Texas | Clear Brook)
PAC Newcomer of the Year: Saint Vincent freshman Carolina Walters (Latrobe, Pa. | Greater Latrobe)
PAC Coach of the Year: Allegheny head coach Dave Hayden
 
 All-PAC First Team
 Singles
 Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown | High School
 3S Jean-Arlette Legrand Allegheny Jr. San Juan, Puerto Rico | Commonwealth Parkville School
 1S Katherine Marks Allegheny Sr. Argyle, Texas | Liberty Christian
 2S Ella Swan Allegheny Sr. Nashville, Tenn. | Hume-Fogg Academic
 2S Kina Ehlers Franciscan Fr. Westerville, Ohio | Big Walnut
 1S Maria Herrera Franciscan Jr. Houston, Texas | Clear Brook
 1S Lauren Estes Geneva Fr. Chattanooga, Tenn. | Grace Baptist Academy
 1S Carolina Walters Saint Vincent Fr. Latrobe, Pa. | Greater Latrobe
 2S Emma Sukal Westminster So. Pittsburgh, Pa. | Baldwin
 Doubles
 Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown | High School
 1D Jean-Arlette Legrand Allegheny Jr. San Juan, Puerto Rico | Commonwealth Parkville School
Ella Swan Allegheny Sr. Nashville, Tenn. | Hume-Fogg Academic
 2D Maria Lounder Allegheny Fr. Pittsburgh, Pa. | Moon
Katherine Marks Allegheny Sr. Argyle, Texas | Liberty Christian
 1D Olivia Colby Franciscan So. Merrimac, Mass. | Pentucket Regional
Maria Herrera Franciscan Jr. Houston, Texas | Clear Brook
 1D Angela Popovich Saint Vincent Sr. Greensburg, Pa. | Hempfield
Carolina Walters Saint Vincent Fr. Latrobe, Pa. | Greater Latrobe
 All-PAC Second Team
 Singles
 Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown | High School
 6S Ryan Cox Allegheny Fr. Tracy, Calif. | Homeschooled
 5S Maria Lounder Allegheny Fr. Pittsburgh, Pa. | Moon
 4S Sabrina Rodriguez Allegheny So. Kissimmee, Fla. | Professional and Technical
 4S Claire Cardie Franciscan Fr. Dublin, Pa. | Archbishop Wood
 6S Estelle Leon Franciscan Sr. Ventura, Calif. | St. Bonaventure
 2S Emily Ivory Grove City So. Gibsonia, Pa. | Mars
 1S Nidhi Pulicherla W&J So. Chandler, Ariz. | Hamilton
 3S Gia Francisco Westminster So. Canfield, Ohio | Canfield
 Doubles
 Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown | High School
 2D Haley Davinsizer Franciscan Sr. Cranberry, Pa. | Seneca Valley
Estelle Leon Franciscan Sr. Ventura, Calif. | St. Bonaventure
 3D Claire Cardie Franciscan Fr. Dublin, Pa. | Archbishop Wood
Kina Ehlers Franciscan Fr. Westerville, Ohio | Big Walnut
 2D Emily Ivory Grove City So. Gibsonia, Pa. | Mars
Janel McCray Grove City So. Jessup, Md. | Hammond
 1D Bella Goldman W&J Sr. Pittsburgh, Pa. | Upper Saint Clair
Nidhi Pulicherla W&J So. Chandler, Ariz. | Hamilton
 1D Gia Francisco Westminster So. Canfield, Ohio | Canfield
Emma Sukal Westminster So. Pittsburgh, Pa. | Baldwin
 All-PAC Honorable Mention
 Singles
 Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown | High School
 3S Olivia Colby Franciscan So. Merrimac, Mass. | Pentucket Regional
 6S Maggie Troxel Grove City Sr. Wheaton, Ill. | Timothy Christian
 2S Angela Popovich Saint Vincent Sr. Greensburg, Pa. | Hempfield
 5S Reagan Hayne Thiel Sr. Greenville, Pa. | Greenville
 1S Natalie Zgurich Thiel Sr. Pittsburgh, Pa. | Baldwin
 2S Bella Goldman W&J Sr. Pittsburgh, Pa. | Upper Saint Clair
 Doubles
 Pos. Name School Yr. Hometown | High School
 3D Ryan Cox Allegheny Fr. Tracy, Calif. | Homeschooled
Sabrina Rodriguez Allegheny So. Kissimmee, Fla. | Professional and Technical
 2D Lauren Estes Geneva Fr. Chattanooga, Tenn. | Grace Baptist Academy
Laura Lin Comollo Geneva Sr. Smyrna, Del. | Polytech
 2D Gloria Johnson W&J So. Stafford, Va. | Brooke Point
Jaelyn Kennedy W&J Jr. Pottstown, Pa. | Pottsgrove
 PAC Sportsmanship Team
 The PAC Sportsmanship Teams were established to recognize student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of 
 sportsmanship and ethical behavior and are an ongoing effort to recognize and encourage positive sportsmanship among all PAC teams and student-
 athletes.
Name School Yr. Hometown | High School
Katherine Marks Allegheny Sr. Argyle, Texas | Liberty Christian
Haley Davinsizer Franciscan Sr. Cranberry, Pa. | Seneca Valley
CeJaelyn Perednia Geneva Fr. Brick, N.J. | Performing Arts Academy
Emily Ivory Grove City So. Gibsonia, Pa. | Mars
Sophia Neubert Saint Vincent Jr. St. Marys, Pa. | Elk County Catholic
Mei Williams Thiel Sr. New Wilmington, Pa. | Wilmington
Bella Goldman W&J Sr. Pittsburgh, Pa. | Upper Saint Clair
Hayley Sweeney Waynesburg Sr. Johnstown, Pa. | Richland
Sabrina Slagle Westminster Sr. Upper Saint Clair, Pa. | Upper Saint Clair