Schyllander and Mendiburu Earn Regional Honors
University of Oregon women’s tennis third-year head coach Nils Schyllander and senior Davina Mendiburu both earned Intercollegiate Tennis Association Northwest Regional honors Monday as announced by the ITA. Schyllander (43-31 overall record) was named Wilson/ITA Regional Coach of the Year, while Mendiburu took home the ITA/Cissie Leary Sportsmanship award.
This season, Schyllander led the Ducks to a 16-7 overall record and 3-5 Pac-10 mark. The teams .695 winning percentage marked the prorgam’s best since 1993 (.828, 24-5). Schyllander was also responsible for vaulting the Ducks into the top-25, as they spent six weeks in the rankings. Later this week, Oregon will begin play at its third NCAA Regional in four years and second under Schyllander.
Mendiburu produced a team-best 24-8 singles and 16-7 dual record ? both career highs. The Menton, France native moved into second place all-time for career singles wins (73-46), while claiming the top UO single-season (24-7) and career (40-14) doubles mark with teammate Ester Bak. Mendiburu won the Flight II Pac-10 singles championship in January and recently won the Pac-10 Invitational doubles title with Bak.
The Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship goes to a women’s player who displays inspiring dedication and commitment to her team, which has enhanced her team’s performance and exemplified the spirit of college tennis.
National winners will be announced May 22, in Athens, Ga. at the NCAA Team and Individual Championships.
The Ducks open against Fresno State in NCAA first-round action, Friday, at 10 a.m., at Stanford, Calif. Fans can follow the match via live scoring at http://gostanford.collegesports.com/sports/w-tennis/scoreboard.html.
