TEMPE, Ariz. – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced the 2018 All-America Teams for Division III women's tennis Wednesday and two Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference student-athletes were recognized.
Southwestern's Kate Daugherty earned ITA All-American recognition as both a singles and doubles player. Her doubles partner Esther Bowers, a freshman from Kerrville, Texas, was also named as a ITA All-American selection.
Daugherty, a freshman from Midland, Texas, earned singles All-American status after winning the ITA West Regional this past fall. She defeated Sumvruta Iyengar fo the University of Texas-Dallas, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, in the final.
Daugherty teamed up with Bowers to march through the field and into the doubles title match. The duo defeated Marie Lutz and Andrea De Leon of Trinity University, 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 10-7, in a hard-found championship match to secure SU's first doubles title at the regional.
The duo solidified their All-American status by defeating the No. 2 doubles team in the nation, Emily Chen and Maryann Zhao of Pomona-Pitzer, in straight sets to place third overall in the doubles division of the Oracle Cup the following month.
To earn ITA All-America honors, a player must meet any of the following criteria:
Singles
1.) Top 8 seed in NCAA singles tournament
2.) Win one round at NCAA singles tournament
3.) Finish in the Top 20 in the final Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings
4.) Win USTA/ITA Fall Regional Tournament
5.) Wins first-round match at the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships
(including players who receive at-large invitations to the tournament)
Doubles
1.) Top 4 seed in NCAA doubles tournament
2.) Win one round at NCAA doubles tournament
3.) Finish in the Top 10 in the final Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings
4.) Win USTA/ITA Fall Regional Tournament
5.) Wins first-round match at the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships
(including teams who receive at-large invitations to the tournament)