University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Four Earn Regional Women's Tennis Awards
June 21, 2021 | Women's Tennis
The North Carolina women's tennis program received four Carolina Regional Awards from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Brian Kalbas was named the Wilson ITA Coach of the Year, Tyler Thomson the ITA Assistant Coach of the Year, Fiona Crawley the ITA Rookie of the Year and Cameron Morra is the ITA Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award honoree.Â
Kalbas earns his ninth ITA regional coach of the year honor with four coming during his days at William & Mary and five with the Tar Heels (2006, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2021).Â
In his third season in Chapel Hill, Thomson garners top honors as assistant coach of the year. He becomes the fourth different Tar Heel assistant to win the award, joining Tar Ann Toro (2006), Sara Anundsen (2010, 2011, 2013) and Courtney Nagle (2017).
Kalbas and Thomson guided their squad to the 2021 ITA National Team Indoor Championship, and a program record 48-match winning streak that saw Carolina earn the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Team Championship for the first time. The Tar Heels won their fifth-straight ACC Championship, Alexa Graham won the 2020 ITA Fall National Singles Championship and Makenna Jones and Elizabeth Scotty capped off the season with the 2021 NCAA Doubles Championship title.
Morra becomes just the third player in program history to earn the sportsmanship award, joining the likes of Kendall Cline (2005) and Shinann Featherston (2012). The award honors a Division I women's student-athlete who displays inspiring dedication and commitment to her team, which has enhanced her team's performance and exemplified the spirit of college tennis. The award dates back to 1997 and is in memory of the late and widely admired Penn women's tennis coach Cissie Leary.
Crawley, who finished her freshman season with a 30-1 singles record, becomes the fourth UNC player to earn the regional rookie of the year award. The previous winners include Whitney Kay (2013), Jamie Loeb (2014) and Sara Daavettila (2017).
Kalbas earns his ninth ITA regional coach of the year honor with four coming during his days at William & Mary and five with the Tar Heels (2006, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2021).Â
In his third season in Chapel Hill, Thomson garners top honors as assistant coach of the year. He becomes the fourth different Tar Heel assistant to win the award, joining Tar Ann Toro (2006), Sara Anundsen (2010, 2011, 2013) and Courtney Nagle (2017).
Kalbas and Thomson guided their squad to the 2021 ITA National Team Indoor Championship, and a program record 48-match winning streak that saw Carolina earn the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Team Championship for the first time. The Tar Heels won their fifth-straight ACC Championship, Alexa Graham won the 2020 ITA Fall National Singles Championship and Makenna Jones and Elizabeth Scotty capped off the season with the 2021 NCAA Doubles Championship title.
Morra becomes just the third player in program history to earn the sportsmanship award, joining the likes of Kendall Cline (2005) and Shinann Featherston (2012). The award honors a Division I women's student-athlete who displays inspiring dedication and commitment to her team, which has enhanced her team's performance and exemplified the spirit of college tennis. The award dates back to 1997 and is in memory of the late and widely admired Penn women's tennis coach Cissie Leary.
Crawley, who finished her freshman season with a 30-1 singles record, becomes the fourth UNC player to earn the regional rookie of the year award. The previous winners include Whitney Kay (2013), Jamie Loeb (2014) and Sara Daavettila (2017).
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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