TRAFFORD, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - After a thrilling Championship Tournament last week, the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) released the 2024 All-PAC Women’s Tennis teams and yearly award winners Wednesday 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.

The PAC Player of the Year honor went to Saint Vincent College junior Carolina Walters, while earning PAC Newcomer of the Year was Geneva College freshman Chloe DeSanzo. Selected as the PAC Coach of the Year was second-year Franciscan University head coach Tom Costello. 

The 2022 PAC Newcomer of the Year, Walters adds the Player of the Year award to her collection this year. She becomes just the second Saint Vincent player ever to earn the top PAC honor and first since Alexis Cup in 2010.

Walters, who played in the No. 1 singles and doubles spot for the duration of the season, closed the fall with a perfect 15-0 singles mark, the first player in team history to finish a season unbeaten having played in at least 10 matches. Dating back through last spring and fall, Walters has won 23 consecutive singles matches and has compiled a 43-6 career singles record so far in her time at Saint Vincent.

The Newcomer award saw a first-time winner from a program, as DeSanzo is the initial player from Geneva to be recognized as the top first-year in conference history. She played first singles and first doubles through her freshman year, posting a 10-3 singles mark, including 5-3 in league action. In addition, she teamed with Geneva junior Lauren Estes to form the top doubles duo for the GTs and they finished with a 6-2 record in PAC matches as part of their 11-2 overall mark.

In earning his first PAC Coach of the Year accolade, Costello nearly led Franciscan to a historic PAC title. The Barons went 8-4 in the regular season and 4-4 in the PAC to earn the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament. Once there, Franciscan upset No. 3 Saint Vincent 4-1 in the quarterfinals to become the first six-seed to win a tournament match. The Barons followed that by knocking off defending PAC champion and No. 2 seed Grove City College in the semifinals 4-3 to advance to the Championship at top-seed Allegheny College. The title match came down to a three-set thriller at first singles, which Allegheny pulled out for a 4-3 victory to end Franciscan's upset run.

With the win, Allegheny finished the fall with a 15-2 overall and perfect 8-0 mark in PAC while also earning their second PAC title in three years. Pacing the Gators' efforts was sophomore Emiliia Grydnieva, who was the PAC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player. She also earned First Team All-PAC in singles, one of two Gators to earn First Team laurels in singles and all six of Allegheny's top players earned either First or Second Team distinction in singles. 

As this year's tournament champion, Allegheny secured the PAC's automatic qualifying bid to the Division III Championships. Team selections will be announced Monday, May 5, 2025. The first round of the Division III Championships is scheduled for Friday, May 9. The Gators last trip to the NCAA Tournament was in 2023 and they reached the second round, defeating Pitt-Greensburg 5-0 in the first round before falling to fifth-ranked Wesleyan.

2024 All-PAC Women's Tennis
Award Winners
PAC Player of the Year: Saint Vincent junior Carolina Walters (Latrobe, Pa./Homeschooled)
PAC Newcomer of the Year: Geneva freshman Chloe DeSanzo (Beaver, Pa./Beaver)
PAC Coach of the Year: Franciscan head coach Tom Costello
 

All-PAC First Team
Singles
Name	School	Yr.	Hometown/High School
Emiliia Grydnieva	Allegheny	So.	Kyiv, Ukraine/Optima
Julia Müsseler	Allegheny	Fr.	Munich, Germany/Käthe-Kollwitz-Gymnasium
Claire Cardie	Franciscan	Jr.	Dublin, Pa./Archbishop Wood
Kina Ehlers	Franciscan	Jr.	Westerville, Ohio/Big Walnut
Chloe DeSanzo	Geneva	Fr.	Beaver, Pa./Beaver
Anna Poranski	Grove City	Fr.	Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep
Carolina Walters	Saint Vincent	Jr.	Latrobe, Pa./Homeschooled
Nidhi Pulicherla	W&J	Sr.	Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton
Doubles
Name	School	Yr.	Hometown/High School
Julia Müsseler	Allegheny	Fr.	Munich, Germany/Käthe-Kollwitz-Gymnasium
Evie Ellenberger	Allegheny	Fr.	Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair
Claire Cardie	Franciscan	Jr.	Dublin, Pa./Archbishop Wood
Kina Ehlers	Franciscan	Jr.	Westerville, Ohio/Big Walnut
Olivia Colby	Franciscan	Sr.	Merrimac, Mass./Pentucket Regional
Jordan Beltavski	Franciscan	So.	Chardon, Ohio/The Lyceum
Chloe DeSanzo	Geneva	Fr.	Beaver, Pa./Beaver
Lauren Estes	Geneva	Jr.	Chattanooga, Tenn./Grace Baptist Academy
Nidhi Pulicherla	W&J	Sr.	Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton
Claire Loomis	W&J	So.	Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair
Gia Francisco	Westminster	Sr.	Canfield, Ohio/Canfield
Emma Sukal	Westminster	Sr.	Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin

All-PAC Second Team
Singles
Pos.	Name	School	Yr.	Hometown/High School
1S	Peyton Joines	Grove City	So.	Glen Rock, Pa./Susquehannock
1S	Gia Francisco	Westminster	Sr.	Canfield, Ohio/Canfield
2S	Olivia Colby	Franciscan	Sr.	Merrimac, Mass./Pentucket Regional
3S	Rei Etsumi	Allegheny	So.	Honolulu, Hawaii/President William McKinley
4S	Nicole Serna Cassan	Allegheny	Fr.	Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico/Grandview Preparatory (Fla.)
5S	Alyssa Good	Grove City	Sr.	Wapakoneta, Ohio/Wapakoneta
5S	Alejandra Villanueva	Allegheny	Fr.	Bogotá, Colombia/French Touch Academy
6S	Maria Lounder	Allegheny	Jr	Pittsburgh, Pa./Moon Area
6S	Janel McCray	Grove City	Sr.	Jessup, Md./Hammond
Doubles
Pos.	Name	School	Yr.	Hometown/High School
1D	Emily Ivory	Grove City	Sr.	Gibsonia, Pa./Mars
	Janel McCray	Grove City	Sr.	Jessup, Md./Hammond
2D	Peyton Joines	Grove City	So.	Glen Rock, Pa./Susquehannock
	Anna Poranski	Grove City	Fr.	Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep
2D	Rei Etsumi	Allegheny	So.	Honolulu, Hawaii/President William McKinley
	Nicole Serna Cassan	Allegheny	Fr.	Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico/Grandview Preparatory (Fla.)
3D	Courtney DeCarlo	Grove City	Jr.	Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian
	Alyssa Good	Grove City	Sr.	Wapakoneta, Ohio/Wapakoneta

All-PAC Honorable Mention
Singles
Pos.	Name	School	Yr.	Hometown | High School
2S	Emma Sukal	Westminster	Sr.	Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin
2S	Claire Loomis	W&J	So.	Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair
2S	Lauren Estes	Geneva	Jr.	Chattanooga, Tenn./Grace Baptist Academy
3S	Emily Ivory	Grove City	Sr.	Gibsonia, Pa./Mars
3S	Jaelyn Kennedy	W&J	Sr.	Pottstown, Pa./Pottsgrove
3S	Ryleigh Valone	Westminster	Sr.	Erie, Pa./Villa Maria Academy
4S	Jordan Beltavski	Franciscan	So.	Chardon, Ohio/The Lyceum
4S	Iris Kiehl	Grove City	Fr.	Warren, Pa./Warren
4S	Emma Overlingas	Westminster	So.	Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin
5S	Hazel Mistry	Franciscan	So.	Groves, Texas/Sabine Pass
5S	Emma Humphrey	W&J	Sr.	Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills
6S	Abby Donnelly	Saint Vincent	Sr.	Washington, Pa./McGuffey
Doubles
Pos.	Name	School	Yr.	Hometown | High School
1D	Carolina Walters	Saint Vincent	Jr.	Latrobe, Pa./Homeschooled
	Isabella Lane	Saint Vincent	Grad.	Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell
2D	Marisa Hooper	Saint Vincent	Jr.	Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle
	Emily Pierce	Saint Vincent	Jr.	Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe
2D	Emma Overlingas	Westminster	So.	Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin
	Ryleigh Valone	Westminster	Sr.	Erie, Pa./Villa Maria Academy
3D	Lydia Lieb	Saint Vincent	Sr.	Dysart, Pa./Hollidaysburg
	Abby Donnelly	Saint Vincent	Sr.	Washington, Pa./McGuffey
3D	Emiliia Grydnieva	Allegheny	So.	Kyiv, Ukraine/Optima
	Adriana Navarro	Allegheny	Fr.	Distrito Central, Honduras/DelCampo School
3D	Lucy Rochat	Franciscan	Fr.	Mason, Texas/Mason
	Veronica Saunders	Franciscan	Jr.	Mukwonago, Wis./Kolbe Academy
3D	Morgan Allen	Westminster	So.	Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop
	Taylor Dlugozima	Westminster	Sr.	Volant, Pa./Wilmington

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
Maria Lounder	Allegheny	Jr.	Pittsburgh, Pa./Moon Area
Claire Cardie	Franciscan	Jr.	Dublin, Pa./Archbishop Wood
Delaney Winterhalter	Geneva	Sr.	Carnegie, Pa./South Fayette
Emily Ivory	Grove City	Sr.	Gibsonia, Pa./Mars
Marisa Hooper	Saint Vincent	Jr.	Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle
Emily Peters	Thiel	Sr.	Ravenna, Ohio/Ravenna
Emma Humphrey	W&J	Sr.	Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills
Julia Umshares	Waynesburg	Fr.	Washington, Pa./Trinity
Grace Askey	Westminster	Jr.	DuBois, Pa./Jeff Tech