Kate Fahey of the University of Michigan, University of Georgia’s Katarina Jokic, Ingrid Martins from the University of South Carolina and the University of Miami’s Estela Perez-Somarriba are the four finalists for the Class of 2019 Honda Sport Award for Tennis as announced today by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA).
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 43 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”. The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2019 Honda Cup which will be presented on a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on Monday, June 24, 2019, in downtown Los, Angeles.
The nominees were chosen by a combination of NCAA Championship finishes and national tennis rankings. The Honda Sport Award winner for Tennis will be announced later this week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.
Fahey, a three-time Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American is back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Year and was the 2019 NCAA Doubles runner-up. Her and her partner were the first Wolverines ever to reach the doubles championship match. She captured the ITA Midwest Regional singles and doubles titles and finished the season at 21-1 at No. 1 singles ending her career as the winningest singles player in school history (132).
Jokic was ranked No. 1 in the final ITA rankings including nine of the 12 rankings overall. She was the 2019 NCAA Individual runner-up and an ITA All-American. The sophomore captured the ITA Fall Singles Championship winning a singles grand slam. She is the fifth women’s tennis player in history to win a collegiate grand slam. She finished season in singles at 26-6 with a 21-5 record against ranked opponents.
Martins was named the ITA Women’s Senior Player of the Year and is a two-time ITA All-American. The 2019 SEC Player of the Year, she became the highest-ranked singles and doubles player in program history ranking at No. 4 and No. 1, respectively, in the final ITA rankings. She led her team to its first SEC Championship in school history and finished the season with an overall record at 29-6 and 17-2 in dual matches.
Perez-Somarriba is the 2019 NCAA Individual Champion and a two-time ACC Player of the Year. The NCAA Tournament’s top-seed, she broke the program record for career wins in the NCAA Singles Championship with a 12-2 mark. She capped her 2018-19 campaign at 43-5, the highest victory total of any player in the country. The junior is a three-time ITA All-American and three-time First-Team All-ACC honoree.
Honda Sport Award winners will be presented with the honor during on-campus presentations throughout the year and all Honda Sport Award winners become a finalist for the prestigious 2019 Honda Cup award presented in June.
The CWSA, celebrating its 43rd year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its sponsorship in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.3 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs.