Arianne Hartono, a senior from Ole Miss, was named the Honda Sport Award winner for Tennis as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) today.
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 42 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”. With this honor, Hartono becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2018 Honda Cup which will be presented on a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on Monday, June 25, 2018, in downtown Los Angeles.
Hartono was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Makenna Jones (North Carolina), Astra Sharma (Vanderbilt) and Bianca Turati (Texas).
“I know that the best athletes in the country are considered for this award, so for me to win it is a huge honor,” Hartono said. “I feel so blessed and grateful for the opportunity that was given to me at Ole Miss, enabling me to excel in my sport and in my academics. I would not have been able to do what I did or be who I am today if it weren’t for Ole Miss, its program, its community and its staff.”
Hartono, a senior hailing from Meppel, Netherlands, was the 2018 NCAA Singles Champion and the first NCAA singles titlist in Ole Miss history. She was also the first women’s tennis player in program history to be named the SEC Player of the Year after finishing 11-2 in No. 1 singles in SEC play. The ITA Co-Senior Player of the Year was also a three-time All-SEC honoree and a two-time ITA All-American.
She finished the year winning 17-straight matches, including 23 wins against ranked opponents, and ranked No. 2 in the ITA final standings. With a 37-6 final season record, she tied for second all-time on the program’s single-season wins list. She currently ranks eighth all-time at Ole Miss with 97 career wins.
Off the court, Hartono is a three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete and a four-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member. She graduated from Ole Miss with a 3.93 GPA in psychology.
“What an amazing honor for Ari to win the Honda Sports Award for tennis,” head coach Mark Beyers said. “This is such a prestigious award. For Ari to be the first ever Ole Miss athlete to win this award speaks volumes about the type of student-athlete she is, and the incredible things she has accomplished this year! I can’t say enough about what she has meant for this program. Just so excited for her. SEC Player of the Year, ITA National Senior Player of the Year, NCAA Singles Champion, and now the Honda Award....wow, that’s a heck of a year!”
Honda Sport Award winners will be presented with the honor during on-campus presentations throughout the year.
The CWSA, in its 42nd year, honors the nation’s top NCAA women athletes recognizing superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its sponsorship in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.1 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.