University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Shibahara Named ITA National Rookie of the Year
May 23, 2017 | Women's Tennis
TEMPE, Ariz. โ UCLA freshman Ena Shibahara has been named the ITA National Rookie of the Year, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced Tuesday. She becomes the third Bruin in program history to receive the honor, joining Megan Bradley (2002) and Robin Anderson (2012).
Shibahara, the No. 5 player in the nation, has totaled 38 wins on her debut campaign, along with just six losses. She posted an 18-3 mark on the dual-match season, during which the freshman played exclusively on Court 1. She was also unbeaten during the regular-season portion of conference play. That regular-season conference success also carried over to doubles play, as Shibahara partnered with Jada Hart and Kristin Wiley for an 8-0 Pac-12 record. Overall, she holds a record of 25-5 in doubles action (18-2 in dual-match play).
Outside of dual-match play, the Palos Verdes, Calif. native won the 2016 Oracle ITA Masters and reached the final of the 2016 Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships after advancing through the pre-qualifying and qualifying rounds. In doubles, Shibahara and partner Jada Hart finished runner-up at the 2016 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships.
This week, Shibahara will participate in the NCAA singles and doubles championships, scheduled to take place from May 24-29 at the University of Georgia's Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga. First up for the fourth-seeded Shibahara is a Round of 64 singles matchup with Rutuja Bhosale of Texas A&M, scheduled for Wednesday. Thursday, the doubles duo of Shibahara-Hart will take on Hadley Berg and Paige Cline of South Carolina in the Round of 32. Stay connected to @uclawtennis on Twitter and NCAA.com for updates on times.
Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year:ย Melissa Schaub, The Ohio State University
ITA Assistant Coach of the Year:ย Courtney Nagle, University of North Carolina
ITA Most Improved Player (Senior):ย Blair Shankle, Baylor University
ITA Senior Player of the Year:ย Hayley Carter, University of North Carolina
ITA Rookie of the Year:ย Ena Shibahara, UCLA
ITA Player to Watch:ย Astra Sharma, Vanderbilt University
ITA/Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award:ย Monica Robinson, University of Notre Dame
ITA/Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship:ย Aslina Chua, Michigan State University
ITA Community Service Award (tie):ย University of Tennessee & East Carolina University
