FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Second-Straight SNHU Player to Earn Player of the Year.
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Southern New Hampshire graduate student Natalie Kallmunzerova has been named the Northeast-10 Conference Vern Cox Women's Tennis Player of the Year for the 2021 fall season, as the league announced its all-conference award honorees on Thursday morning.
Le Moyne, the regular season champion and top seed in the NE10 Women's Tennis Championship, had a league-best six players earn eight all-conference selections. Adelphi and Southern New Hampshire each had five players earn six selections, while having six players recognized overall when considering All-Rookie Team.
Kallmunzerova, a native of Prague, Czech Republic, is the second SNHU player to earn NE10 Vern Cox Player of the Year honors in this calendar year – following her teammate, Magdalena Hubickova, who won the award this past spring. She went a perfect 10-0 at No. 1 singles in NE10 matches in her first season with the Penmen, coming off three years at Florida Atlantic University. Kallmunzerova won the ITA East Region Singles Championship in September, adding to her success this fall. She is First Team All-Conference at both No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles.
Le Moyne freshman Isabella Barona has been voted the NE10 Rookie of the Year, following an impressive rookie campaign that saw the Dolphins win the regular season title and earn the No. 1 seed in the Championship. Barona went 7-2 in singles matches this season, including a 4-2 record at the No. 1 flight. Her biggest win came against Franklin Pierce's Maria Penalver Aguilo, the reigning NE10 Rookie of the Year, Barona is Third Team All-Conference at No. 1 singles and First Team at No. 3 doubles.
Adelphi's Rebecca Fakas has been voted by her peers as the NE10 Coach of the Year. The Panthers qualified this season for the NE10 Championship as the No. 4 seed with a 7-3 conference record. In just her second season as the full-time head coach at Adelphi, Fakas has led the program to an impressive 19-5 record (16-4 NE10) and hosted a postseason match in both years. Even after losing All-Conference standouts Nicole Kielan and Nicole Stay after the 2021 spring season, Fakas helped the Panthers to another winning record in the fall.
Among Le Moyne's eight All-Conference selections were senior Brooke Fernandez, who earned two nods to the First Team at No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles with her partner, Barona. Fernandez joins Kallmunzerova and Franklin Pierce graduate student Estela Carra as the only three players to earn multiple First Team designations.
Le Moyne had the most First Team selections, as senior Birdem Oz (No. 2 singles), graduate student Marta Nunez (No. 3 singles) and junior Francesca Lilliegren (No. 5 singles) joined Fernandez and Barona with the honors.
The NE10 Women's Tennis Championship continues on Friday with the semifinals, as Le Moyne will host fourth-seeded Adelphi and Southern New Hampshire welcomes third-seeded Franklin Pierce. For the full schedule and all other championship information, click HERE.
The NE10 Player of the Year award is named in honor of former longtime Springfield College head coach Vern Cox.
������-�������������������� ������������@snhupenmen Natalie Kallmunzerova is our Vern Cox Player of the Year, as the NE10 releases its women's tennis all-conference honors. Congrats to our winners! ����
— The NE10 (@TheNortheast10) October 21, 2021
��: https://t.co/d92RV6q07M#NE10EMBRACE #NCAAD2 #D2WTEN @ITA_Tennis pic.twitter.com/aUGSWG5kiu
Vern Cox Player of the Year
Natalie Kallmunzerova, Southern New Hampshire
Rookie of the Year
Isabella Barona, Le Moyne
Coach of the Year
Rebecca Fakas, Adelphi
FIRST TEAM
No. 1 Singles: Natalie Kallmunzerova, Southern New Hampshire
No. 2 Singles: Birdem Oz, Le Moyne
No. 3 Singles: Marta Nunez, Le Moyne
No. 4 Singles: Estela Carra, Franklin Pierce
No. 5 Singles: Francesca Lilliegren, Le Moyne
No. 6 Singles: Brooke Fernandez, Le Moyne
No. 1 Doubles: Alexxa Etienne/Natalie Kallmunzerova, Southern New Hampshire
No. 2 Doubles: Estela Carra/Liria Loria, Franklin Pierce
No. 3 Doubles: Isabella Barona/Brooke Fernandez, Le Moyne
SECOND TEAM
No. 1 Singles: Louisa Junghanns, Adelphi
No. 2 Singles: Magdalena Hubickova, Southern New Hampshire
No. 3 Singles: Alexxa Etienne, Southern New Hampshire
No. 4 Singles: Fiona Pepper, Le Moyne
No. 5 Singles: Julia Kielan, Adelphi
No. 6 Singles: Carolina Chaves, Adelphi
No. 1 Doubles: Ivana Andric/Gaayatri Shankar, New Haven
No. 2 Doubles: Marta Nunez/Fiona Pepper, Le Moyne
No. 3 Doubles: Elizabeth Dwyer/Magdalena Hubickova, Southern New Hampshire
THIRD TEAM
No. 1 Singles: Isabella Barona, Le Moyne
No. 2 Singles: Barbie Quagliardi, Adelphi
No. 3 Singles: Liria Loria, Franklin Pierce
No. 4 Singles: Isabella Andrade, Southern New Hampshire
No. 5 Singles: Zoe Asterio Correa, Franklin Pierce
No. 6 Singles: Jillian Pagliuca, Franklin Pierce
No. 1 Doubles: Julia Chappell/Cara McCormack, Assumption
No. 2 Doubles: Amanda Franstedt/Louisa Junghanns, Adelphi
No. 3 Doubles: Carolina Chaves/Julia Kielan, Adelphi
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Carolina Chaves, Adelphi
Caterina Federici, Adelphi
Victoria Azcona, American International
Maria Mella, Bentley
Isabella Barona, Le Moyne
Karim Carreras, New Haven
Guntra Upeniece, Southern New Hampshire
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 14 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
