MARY CARDONE OF SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY has been selected the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Women's Tennis Player-of-the-Year and Newcomer-of-the-Year.

Cardone, a freshman from San Antonio, Texas, posted a perfect 20-0 singles record this year for the Pirates while splitting time at #1 and #2 singles. She is currently ranked 15th in the West Region for Singles and sixth for Doubles and has posted wins over players from #16 Trinity, UT-Tyler, #25 Linfield, Swarthmore and #40 Cal Lutheran. Cardone, a three-time SCAC Player-of-the-Week selection during the regular season, has been the catalyst behind the Pirates' 20-3 record this spring, which currently has the team ranked 28th in the nation.

Cardone is the first Southwestern tennis player, man or woman, to earn SCAC Player-of-the-Year honors. She follows her teammate Taite Drew-Jones in earning the program its second consecutive Newcomer-of-the-Year honor. In addition, after winning Newcomer-of-the-Year in women's soccer earlier this academic year, she is the first SCAC student-athlete to win major awards in two different sports since Vanessa Moreno of Trinity was named the league's Cross Country Runner-of-the-Year and Track Athlete-of-the-Year in 2012-13.

In the Player-of-the-Year voting, Cardone received five first-place votes while Liza Southwick and Caroline Kutach – both of Trinity – each received one first-place vote.

In the Newcomer-of-the-Year balloting, Cardone was selected as the top choice on six ballots while Anna Sergiovanni of Austin College received the remaining first-place vote.