SPARTANBURG, S.C. - UNCG's Niltooli Wilkins has been named the Southern Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Year as the league announced its postseason awards Tuesday (April 17). Chattanooga's Kaylene Chadwell was named the conference's Freshman of the Year. College of Charleston's Christin Newman earned the Sportsmanship Award while UNCG head coach Jeff Trivette took home the league's Coach of the Year honor. Postseason balloting was conducted by the league's head coaches who were not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes.
Wilkins went 19-1 at No. 1 singles for the Spartans, including a 10-0 mark in conference play. Fourteen of her 19 wins came in straight sets this spring and she was named the league's Player of the Week twice. She joins Alejandra Guerra (2009) as the only two Spartans to win the Player of the Year Award. Wilkins, a junior, was also named to the all-conference first team for the second consecutive season.
Jeff Trivette earned the league's Coach of the Year award after guiding UNCG to its first outright regular season championship. The Spartans finished the spring campaign 16-5 and were 10-0 in conference matches. Five of his Spartans earned all-conference honors. Trivette becomes just the third coach in league history to earn Coach of the Year honors in both men's and women's as he captured the award on as head of the men's program in 2001.
Newman was named the recipient of the league's Sportsmanship Award after finishing the spring with a 17-6 record at No. 1 singles for College of Charleston. Newman, a junior from Greensboro, N.C., was 8-1 in conference matches and teamed with her sister Caroline at No. 3 doubles where the pair went 10-4 this spring.
UTC's Chadwell was named the league's Freshman of the Year. It is the second time in three years that a Lady Moc has earned the award as Chadwell's teammate Jenna Nurik garnered the award in 2010. Chadwell was 15-5 for the Lady Mocs, posted an 8-2 mark in conference matches and was twice named the league's Player of the Week. She went 6-1 at No. 2 singles and was 9-4 at No. 3 for UTC.
Wilkins and Newman were named first team all-conference in singles along with College of Charleston's Kelly Kambourelis, Elon's Jordan Johnston, Georgia Southern's Paola Garrido and Chattanooga's Jenna Nurik.
UNCG's Wilkins and Lucy Dougherty were named first team all-conference in doubles play for the second consecutive season. Elon's Frida Jansaker and Johnston also garnered first team honors in doubles, along with Samford's Lindsey Mallory and Kristen Lewis.
The second team all-confeernce selections are awarded based on position. Furman's Lauren Kline was chosen at No. 1 singles, while Davidson's Brites Moniz-Soares earned the nod at the No. 2 position. Elon's Frida Jansaker and UNCG's Annette Rios split the award at No. 3. College of Charleston teammates Samantha Maddox (No. 4) and Jenny Falcone (No. 5) earned second team honors for the Cougars while Furman's Amanda Murray and UNCG's Stephanie Falcon tied for the No. 6 position on the second team.
Maddox and teammate Irene Viana were tabbed second team all-conference at No. 1 doubles and were joined by teammates Falcone and Kambourelis at the No. 2 position. UNCG's Rios and Kayla Gammie were selected at No. 3.
College of Charleston's Falcone and Maddox were named to the all-freshman team, along with Elon's Barbora Lazarova, Samford's Stephanie N'tcha and Furman's Alex Moreno-Kaste.
The 2012 Southern Conference Men's and Women's Tennis Championships begin Thursday in Charleston, S.C.
2012 SoCon Women's Tennis Postseason Awards
First Team
Singles
Kelly Kambourelis, College of Charleston
Christin Newman, College of Charleston
Jordan Johnston, Elon
Paola Garrido, Georgia Southern
Niltooli Wilkins, UNCG
Jenna Nurik, Chattanooga
Doubles
Frida Jansaker/Jordan Johnston, Elon
Niltooli Wilkins/Lucy Dougherty, UNCG
Kristen Lewis/Lindsey Mallory, Samford
Second Team
Singles (by position)
No. 1 - Lauren Kline, Furman
No. 2 - Brites Moniz-Soares, Davidson
No. 3 - Frida Jansaker, Elon
Annette Rios, UNCG
No. 4 - Samantha Maddox, College of Charleston
No. 5 - Jenny Falcone, College of Charleston
No. 6 - Amanda Murray, Furman
Stephanie Falcon, UNCG
Doubles (by position)
No. 1 - Samantha Maddox/Irene Viana, CofC
No. 2 - Jenny Falcone/Kelly Kambourelis, CofC
No. 3 - Kayla Gammie/Annette Rios, UNCG
All-Freshman
Samantha Maddox, College of Charleston
Jenny Falcone, College of Charleston
Barbora Lazarova, Elon
Alex Moreno-Kaste, Furman
Stephanie N'tcha, Samford
Kaylene Chadwell, Chattanooga
Player of the Year
Niltooli Wilkins, UNCG
Freshman of the Year
Kaylene Chadwell, Chattanooga
Sportsmanship Award
Christin Newman, College of Charleston
Coach of the Year
Jeff Trivette, UNCG