May 1, 2006

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2006 Women's Tennis All-League Release
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The Patriot League Champion Army Black Knights led the way with four student-athletes earning All-League honors, while American, Bucknell and Colgate each had two members. Lafayette and Lehigh rounded out the All-League teams each having one student-athlete honored.

Colgate junior Jackie Couture (Richmond, Va./Ridgefield (Conn.) was voted the 2006 Women's Tennis Player of the Year by the League's head coaches and earned first team recognition. Army walked away with the two other major awards with freshman Kristin Flach (Naple, Fla./International Learning) earning Rookie of the Year honors and Paul Peck taking home his sixth-ever Coach of the Year trophy.

Couture went 13-4 overall at No. 1 singles including going 4-1 in Patriot League play. She also went 10-7 at No. 1 doubles with a 4-1 mark in Patriot League play.

Flach had an impressive rookie campaign going 3-0 at No. 2 singles and 6-0 at No. 2 doubles. She closed out the 2006 regular season winning five of her last seven singles matches while going 9-1 overall in doubles play. Along with being named Rookie of the Year Flach also was voted to the All-League First-Team.

Peck lead the Black Knights to 15-12 record overall and 4-0 in the Patriot League this season. This was fourth straight year Army as gone undefeated in conference play and they have a 23-match Patriot League winning streak. Army will be making their sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and look for its first win all-time.

American junior Julia Colarusso (Downington, Pa./Downington) and sophomore Malvina De La Canal (Los Angeles, Calif./Options for the Youth) were both named to the first-team. Colarusso went 2-3 at No. 1 singles in the Patriot League and a perfect 4-0 in doubles play at the No. 1 position with De La Canal. Individually De La Canal went undefeated at No. 2 singles.

Bucknell senior Veronica Brown (Derwood, Md./Colonel Zadok Magruder) also earned first-team honors. Brown posted a 3-2 singles record at the No. 1 position in the Patriot League and a 2-2 record at No. 1 doubles. Rounding out the first-team is Lehigh junior Gwen Dwyer (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan). Overall Dwyer went 8-12 at the No. 1 position and 3-2 in Patriot League play.

A trio of Black Knight players made the All-League Second-Team with seniors Megan Noble (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte) and Amanda Paluch (Chapel Hill, N.C./Durham Academy) and freshman Sara Giles-Madden (Columbia, S.C./Heritage Academy) each earning honors. Noble went 2-2 in Patriot League play at No. 1 doubles and 1-3 at No. 1 singles. Paluch went 4-0 at No. 4 singles and 6-0 at No. 3 doubles. Giles-Madden had a strong rookie season going 4-0 in singles play at the No. 4 poistion and 6-0 in doubles at the No. 3 position.

Bucknell senior Chelsea Mills (Wellesley, Mass./Wellesley) also earned second-team honors. This season Mills went 3-2 at No. 2 singles and 2-2 at No. 2 doubles in Patriot League play. Colgate sophomore Alex Seaton (Edina, Minn./Edina) was named to the second-team after going 8-8 overall at No. 2 singles and 2-3 in League play. In doubles Seaton went 13-4 overall and 4-1 in the Patriot League at No. 1 doubles. Rounding out the second-team was Lafayette senior Chez Saricas (Stamford, Conn./Trinity Catholic). Saricas went 1-3 in the Patriot League at the No. 1 position in both singles and doubles.

Army won the Patriot League Championship and the automatic bid the NCAA Tournament. NCAA Regional play begins on Friday, May 12.

The Patriot League, which was founded on the principles of admitting athletes who are academically representative of their class, is in its second decade of academic and athletic excellence. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of the undergraduate experience. The Patriot League, which began as a successful Division I-AA football conference in 1986 and became an all-sport conference in 1990, includes American, Army, Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh and Navy as full members and three associate members. These institutions are among the oldest and most prestigious in the nation and their alumni have played leadership roles in the shaping of our country. In the most recent NCAA Graduation Rate Report of student-athletes, the Patriot League ranked FIRST among NCAA Division I conferences.

Patriot League Women's Tennis All-League First-Team
Julia Colarusso - Jr. American
Malvina De La Canal - So. American
Kristin Flach - Fr. Army
Veronica Brown - Sr. Bucknell
Jackie Couture - Jr. Colgate
Gwen Dwyer - Jr. Lehigh

Patriot League Women's Tennis All-League Second-Team
Sara Giles-Madden - Fr. Army
Megan Noble - Sr. Army
Amanda Paluch - Sr. Army
Chelsea Mills - Sr. Bucknell
Alex Seaton - So. Colgate
Chez Saricas - Sr. Lafayette

Player of the Year - Jackie Couture - Jr. Colgate
Rookie of the Year - Kristin Flach - Fr. Army
Coach of the Year - Paul Peck, Army