Muresan Named ITA All-American
6/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
June 7, 2010
SKILLMAN, N.J. -- Junior Denise Muresan (Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) of the University of Michigan women's tennis team earned All-America honors from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) on Monday (June 7), in conjunction with its release of final singles and doubles rankings for the 2009-10 season.
Muresan completed the season with a No. 18 ranking, earning the first All-America honor of her career. Her final position is the highest a Wolverine has ever been ranked to end the season, improving on the No. 50 ranking Sarah Cyganiak garnered at the conclusion of the 1997 season. To be named an All-American, a player must have received a top-16 seed in the NCAA Singles Championships, reach the round of 16 in the NCAA Singles Championship or finish in the top 20 of the final ITA rankings.
"This is a great honor for Denise and something she definitely deserves after the season she had," head coach Ronni Bernstein said. "She made a huge impact on our team success and brought a great work ethic and intensity every day to practice, which carried over to her matches. I am just happy for Denise and that she is getting recognized for her accomplishments."
Muresan, the 2010 Big Ten Player of the Year and ITA Midwest Player to Watch, becomes only the second Wolverine in program history to earn national honors, joining Marian Kremer, who was honored after reaching the national consolation finals in 1981.
Muresan went 33-14 during her breakout junior campaign, including an 18-8 dual-match record at the No. 1 singles position. Her 33 wins put her second on the single-season wins list, one behind Cyganiak's 1995 standard of 34. She compiled a 9-1 Big Ten record en route to earning Big Ten Player of the Year, becoming the first Wolverine since 1997 to receive the distinction.
The Wolverines just completed the most successful season in team history, earning a No. 8 year-end ranking after a 24-5 campaign. Michigan, the 2010 Big Ten champion, set new standards for wins (24) and winning percentage (.828) and reached the NCAA Sweet 16 for only the second time in program history.
• ITA Release
Contact: Sarah VanMetre (734) 763-4423
