After a phenomenal freshman campaign in which she went 8-1 among Horizon League competition and 13-3 overall, Northern Kentucky women’s tennis freshman Margita Sunjic was named the HL Player of the Year, as well as the Freshman of the Year, as voted upon by the League’s coaches. Sunjic topped the list of All-Horizon League First Team honorees, while senior Klara Skopac earned second-team honors.
Sunjic is NKU’s first Player of the Year in the Division I era and just the second all-time, following in the footsteps of four-time Great Lakes Valley Conference POY Jamie O’Hara, who was the top player in the GLVC from 1998-2001. In addition to O’Hara, NKU has had one other Freshman of the Year, with Stephanie Isaacs claiming the distinction in the 2007 season. Sunjic is just the fourth player in the history of the Horizon League to be named both the Player of the Year and the Freshman/Newcomer of the Year.
The Sneit, Croatia, native was nearly flawless in Horizon League singles action, going 8-1 against every team’s respective top player. Sunjic strung together a nine-match winning streak leading up to the final match of the season, which saw the freshman win each matches in straight sets. She also played on NKU’s top doubles team with her compatriot, Skopac, as the duo went 7-5 overall.
Skopac finished as the top No. 2 singles player in the League, also posting an 8-1 record as part of her 12-5 overall mark. A native of Rijeka, Croatia, Skopac ended her career on a six-match winning streak. She earns All-League distinction for the second time in her career, and was also honored as a member of the Horizon League All-Academic team this season as she will graduate with a perfect 4.00 grade point average in finance.
For more information on NKU’s men’s and women’s tennis program, follow the team on Twitter @NKUNorseTennis or at facebook.com/nkunorsetennis.
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Contact: Chloe Smith, Assistant Athletic Communications Director
Office: (859) 572-7659 Mobile: (619) 384-3878
Email: smithc104@nku.edu
Website: www.NKUNorse.com
Twitter: @NKUNorse | @NKUNorseTennis
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Virag named to All-Horizon League First Team
INDIANAPOLIS – Northern Kentucky men’s tennis senior adds another accomplishment to his distinguished career as a Norse after being named to the All-Horizon League First Team for the second-straight season.
Virag has been NKU’s No. 1 singles player since he stepped foot on campus for his freshman campaign, and compiled a 4-3 record in League play and a 9-5 overall mark, the latter of which is the third-best No. 1 singles record in the League. He is also currently part of the No. 7 doubles team in the ITA Ohio Valley Region along with fellow senior Lukas Clemens. In addition to his success on the court, Virag is a two-time all-academic honoree as he holds a perfect 4.00 grade point average as a double major in business informatics and computer science.
The Norse kick off the postseason tomorrow, April 28, with the Horizon League Championship in Ann Arbor, Michigan. No. 5 seed NKU takes on No. 4-seeded Youngstown State at 11 a.m. ET, with the winner of the match moving on to play top-seeded Valparaiso on Saturday, April 29.
For more information on NKU’s men’s and women’s tennis program, follow the team on Twitter @NKUNorseTennis or at facebook.com/nkunorsetennis.
Join the Uprising!
Chloe Smith
Assistant Athletic Communications Director
Northern Kentucky University