BATON ROUGE — LSU’s Bruna Colosio became the first Lady Tiger to be named the Southeastern Conference’s Player of the Year on Wednesday, as the SEC released the 2001 women’s tennis awards.
“Bruna has done an unbelievable job for us this season,” said LSU head coach Tony Minnis. “She’s really anchored our team in both doubles and singles play, and she’s taken on the role of being a leader. I’m proud of her for receiving this award, because it is a tremendous honor and she definitely deserves it. She’s had a phenomenal year and it takes a lot of focus and determination to be named the best player in the conference.”
Colosio, a junior from Cascaval, Brazil, also earned first-team All-SEC honors on Wednesday. The Lady Tigers’ No. 1 singles player dominated the competition this season by accumulating a 23-3 overall record and a perfect 10-0 mark against conference foes. Colosio is currently the seventh-ranked singles player in the nation and owns a 10-2 record against ranked opponents.
In doubles play, Colosio partnered with freshman Rocio Fantilli to form the 17th-ranked doubles team in the nation. The tandem owns a 17-4 overall record in dual-match play and finished 7-4 against SEC opponents.
Tennessee’s Mike Patrick received the SEC Coach of the Year honor for the second time in his coaching career. He earned his first SEC Coach of the Year honor in 1986 while serving as head coach at Kentucky. This season his Lady Volunteer squad finished second at the SEC Tournament and heads into the post-season with a 23-3 mark, making them the winningest squad in UT history.
Florida’s Lindsey Dawaf was named the SEC Freshman of the Year on Wednesday after going an undefeated 8-0 at the No. 3 position in conference play. The Olney, Md., native teamed up with freshman Annika Bengtsson to garner first-team All-SEC honors at the No. 3 doubles position with a 7-1 dual-match record in SEC play.
The Lady Tigers finished the season as the 26th-ranked team in the nation and with a 14-9 dual-match record. LSU will next be in action on May 11, as the Lady Tigers begin competition in their seventh-straight NCAA Tournament. The LSU women’s tennis team’s first-round opponent and the site of the regional will be announced by the NCAA on May 3 at 4 p.m.