CAMPBELL/ITA PLAYERS OF THE YEAR HONORED IN NEWPORT
July 13, 2012
Photo Gallery of Ceremony | Video of Ceremony
SKILLMAN, N.J. – Stanford junior Nicole Gibbs and USC senior Steve Johnson will be honored as the 2012 Campbell/ITA National College Players of the Year as part of induction weekend at the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum in Newport, R.I.
ITA Executive Director David A Benjamin, along with presenter Stan Smith, President of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum and Anthony Sanzio, Vice President of Global Communications for Campbell Soup, will recognize this year’s recipients Saturday at an awards luncheon held in Horseshoe Piazza immediately prior to the ITHF Inductions on stadium court. The 2012 Class includes Jennifer Capriati, Guga Kuerten, Manuel Orantes, Randy Snow and Mike Davies.
The Campbell/ITA National College Player of the Year award is given to the women’s and men’s singles player who has had the most outstanding year in college tennis and finishes No. 1 in the Campbell/ITA National Rankings.
Gibbs made her professional debut this week at the WTA Bank of the West Classic on Stanford’s campus. Earning a wild card entry, she won in straight sets in the opening round before succumbing to Wimbledon champion Serena Williams on Wednesday.
Gibbs earned ITA All-America honors for both singles and doubles, making her a four-time ITA All-American. She owns a career record of 87-11. Gibbs closed out the 2011-12 collegiate season in impressive fashion, winning her final 17 singles matches to finish with an overall singles record of 41-5 in her sophomore campaign. The Santa Monica, Calif., product put together a solid fall season that included claiming the 2011 USTA/ITA Northwest Regional Singles Championship. Gibbs picked up her level of play for the post-season in the spring, capturing the 2012 Pac-12 Singles Championship en route to be named the 2012 Pac-12 Women's Player of the Year. In the NCAA Women's Singles Championship, Gibbs defeated Florida's Allie Will, the player ranked No. 1 in the Campbell/ITA Division I Women's Singles Rankings heading into the NCAA Championships, in the semifinals. She outlasted teammate and doubles partner Mallory Burdette in the finals 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 to win the 2012 NCAA Women's Singles crown.
Johnson had a chance to test the grass courts at Newport last week, falling in the second round of qualifying for the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships. He is currently ranked 400th in the world.
The Orange, Calif., native capped off a stellar four-year career at USC fittingly: taking home the 2012 NCAA Men's Singles Championship. Johnson heads into the pro ranks as one of the most decorated players in college tennis history, helping his team to four consecutive NCAA Men's Team Championships to go along with is back-to-back NCAA Men's Singles titles. He ended his career on a 72-match singles winning streak, including a perfect 37-0 in his senior season. Johnson was named the 2012 Pac-12 Men's Player of the Year, his second season to be chosen for that award. He was also selected as the 2012 ITA/Farnsworth National Senior Player of the Year honoree. Johnson finishes his career as a seven-time ITA All-American after earning both singles and doubles honors this season. He was also named the Campbell/ITA Men's Player of the Year last season, becoming just the fourth men's player to earn the honor in consecutive seasons.
Past ITA National Players of the Year:
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Men |
Women |
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2012 |
Steve Johnson, Southern California |
2012 |
Nicole Gibbs, Stanford |
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2011 |
Steve Johnson, Southern California |
2011 |
Jana Juricova, California |
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2010 |
Robert Farah, Southern California |
2010 |
Irina Falconi, Georgia Tech |
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2009 |
Oleksandr Nedovyesov, Oklahoma State |
2009 |
Mallory Cecil, Duke |
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2008 |
Somdev Devvarman, Virginia |
2008 |
Amanda McDowell, Georgia Tech |
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2007 |
Somdev Devvarman, Virginia |
2007 |
Audra Cohen, Miami (FL) |
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2006 |
Benjamin Kohlloeffel, UCLA |
2006 |
Audra Cohen, Miami (FL) |
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2005 |
Benedikt Dorsch, Baylor |
2005 |
Megan Bradley, Miami (FL) |
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2004 |
Benedikt Dorsch, Baylor |
2004 |
Amber Liu, Stanford |
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2003 |
Amer Delic, Illinois |
2003 |
Amber Liu, Stanford |
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2002 |
Matias Boeker, Georgia |
2002 |
Bea Bielik, Wake Forest |
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2001 |
Matias Boeker, Georgia |
2001 |
Laura Granville, Stanford |
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2000 |
Alex Kim, Stanford |
2000 |
Laura Granville, Stanford |
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1999 |
James Blake, Harvard |
1999 |
Zuzana Lesenarova, San Diego |
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1998 |
Bob Bryan, Stanford |
1998 |
Vanessa Webb, Duke |
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1997 |
Thomas Dupre, Mississippi State |
1997 |
Lilia Osterloh, Stanford |
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1996 |
Cecil Mamiit, Southern California |
1996 |
Jill Craybas, Florida |
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1995 |
Sargis Sargsian, Arizona State |
1995 |
Keri Phebus, UCLA |
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1994 |
Mark Merklein, Florida |
1994 |
Angela Lettiere, Geogia |
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1993 |
Chris Woodruff, Tennessee |
1993 |
Lisa Raymond, Florida |
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1992 |
Alex O'Brien, Stanford |
1992 |
Lisa Raymond, Florida |
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1991 |
Al Parker, Georgia |
1991 |
Sandra Birch, Stanford |
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1990 |
Steve Bryan, Texas |
1990 |
Debbie Graham, Stanford |
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1989 |
MaliVai Washington, Michigan |
1989 |
Tami Whitlinger, Stanford |
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1988 |
Robbie Weiss, Pepperdine |
1988 |
Halle Cioffi, Florida |
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1987 |
Richey Reneberg, SMU |
1987 |
Patty Fendick, Stanford |
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1986 |
Rick Leach, Southern California |
1986 |
Caroline Kuhlman, Southern California |
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1985 |
Mikael Pernfors, Georgia |
1985 |
Gretchen Rush, Trinity (TX) |
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1984 |
Paul Annacone, Tennessee |
1984 |
Gretchen Rush, Trinity (TX) |
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1983 |
Greg Holmes, Utah |
1983 |
Beth Herr, Southern California |
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1982 |
Marcel Freeman, UCLA |
1982 |
Vicki Nelson, Rollins |
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1981 |
Tim Mayotte, Stanford |
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1980 |
Peter Rennert, Stanford |
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Past ITA National Doubles Teams of the Year:
Men
2012
Chase Buchanan/Blaz Rola, Ohio State
2011
John-Patrick Smith/Boris Conkic, Tennessee
2010
Reid Carleton/Henrique Cunha, Duke
2009
Davey Sandgren/John-Patrick Smith, Tennessee
2008
Robert Farah/Kaes Van't Hof, USC
2007
Luis Flores/John Isner, Georgia
2006
Kevin Anderson/Ryan Rowe, Illinois
2005
John Isner/Antonio Ruiz, Georgia
2004
Richard Barker/William Barker, Rice
2003
Richard Barker/William Barker, Rice
2002
Andrew Colombo/Marc Kovacs, Auburn
2001
Matias Boeker/Travis Parrott, Georgia
2000
Geoff Abrams/Alex Kim, Stanford
Women
2012
Mallory Burdette/Nicole Gibbs, Stanford
2011
Hilary Barte/Mallory Burdette, Stanford
2010
Natalie Pluskota/Caitlin Whoriskey, Tennessee
2009
Renata Kucerkova/Anastasia Petukhova, Fresno State
2008
Riza Zalameda/Tracy Lin, UCLA
2007
Sara Anundsen/Jenna Long, North Carolina
2006
Alice Barnes/Anne Yelsey, Stanford
2005
Alice Barnes/Erin Burdette, Stanford
2004
Lauren Barnikow/Erin Burdette, Stanford
2003
Christina Fusano/Raquel Kops-Jones, California
2002
Lauren Kalvaria/Gabriela Lastra, Stanford
2001
Whitney Laiho/Jessica Lehnhoff, Florida
2000
Claire Curran/Amy Jensen, California
About the Intercollegiate Tennis Association
As the governing body of collegiate tennis, the ITA promotes both the athletic and academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, which was founded in 1956 and is based in Skillman, N.J., administers numerous regional and national championships, the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit, presented by the USTA, and the ITA Rankings for men's and women's tennis at the NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior College levels. The ITA also has a comprehensive awards program for players and coaches to honor excellence in academics, leadership and sportsmanship. The official ITA web site is www.itatennis.com.
About Campbell Soup Company
Campbell Soup Company is a global manufacturer and marketer of high-quality foods and simple meals, including soup, baked snacks, and healthy beverages. Founded in 1869, the company has a portfolio of market-leading brands, including "Campbell's," "Pepperidge Farm," "Arnott's," and "V8." For more information on the company, visit Campbell's website at www.CampbellSoup.com.
