GILMAN, RONTY AND HUBBELL NAMED CAPTAINS FOR UPCOMING SEASON

May 28: A trio of seniors will lead the St. Lawrence University women’s tennis team in 2009-10, as head coach Jeremy Freeman announced that Casey Gilman, Elizabeth Ronty and Chelsea Hubbell will serve as captains next season.

“Casey (Gilman), Liz (Ronty) and Chelsea (Hubbell) have the experience and leadership capabilities needed to propel our team back to the NCAA Tournament next season,” said Coach Freeman.  “All three will play key roles for us both on and off of the court.”

Gilman has had a fantastic career thus far for the Scarlet and Brown, racking up a career singles record of 53-17.  A captain in her junior year, Gilman was 16-8 last season an earned Liberty League Honorable Mention status for her singles play.  The Gloucester, MA native and her partner Stephanie Finn earned First Team doubles honors behind a 9-2 record at the No. 1 slot.

Ronty and Hubbell each spent the fall semester abroad last season, but returned to action in the spring and each made contributions to the team’s success.

Ronty, who served as a captain during her sophomore season with the Saints, is one of the team’s most reliable doubles players.  The Orleans, MA native boasted doubles records of 14-6 in 2007-08 and 2-1 in 2008-09. 

Despite being away from the court while abroad, Hubbell was able to return in the spring and compete in both singles and doubles play.  The Montclair, NJ native, who earned All-Conference Honorable Mention status for her singles play in 2007-08, was 5-6 at the No. 5 spot for St. Lawrence in her just campaign.  She and rookie Barry Edgar also became a viable doubles team last season, finishing 7-3 at the No. 3 slot.

The women’s tennis team narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament field last year after finishing with an 11-5 overall record and in third place in the Liberty League.  The Saints, who had made the national tournament each of the past two seasons, will look to return in 2009-10.

FOUR SAINTS EARN LIBERTY LEAGUE

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS

May 18: St. Lawrence University sophomore Stephanie Finn earned Liberty League Women’s Tennis First Team honors in both singles and doubles, while three teammates including senior Elizabeth Karam, junior Casey Gilman and first-year student Hillary Drewry also earned All-Conference accolades.

Finn, who was a First Team selection for singles and the conference’s Rookie of the Year last season, finished the regular season with an 11-4 overall singles record and was 9-3 at the No. 1 spot for the Saints.  The Goldens Bridge, NY native was joined on the First Team by Drewry, who made an immediate impact for the Saints in her first season.  The Pennington, NJ native was 12-7 in singles during her rookie year, playing at No. 1 and 2 all season.   

Both Finn and Drewry also earned All-Conference doubles honors.  Finn and her partner, Gilman, were one of three teams to earn a spot on the First Team.  The duo, which was an Honorable Mention choice in 2008, was 9-3 on the season and 9-2 at the No. 1 slot in dual-matches.

Drewry was joined by Karam, a senior captain, as an Honorable Mention doubles team selection.  The pairing added a consistent threat in the No. 2 slot for St. Lawrence, where they went 10-1 in dual matches.  Drewry and Karam finished with a 12-3 overall doubles record. 

Finally, Gilman was given Honorable Mention status for her singles’ record in 2008-09.  The junior captain added a reliable player to the middle of the Saints' line-up, finishing 16-8 overall in singles play and was 12-4 in dual-matches this season.

Vassar College swept the 2009 Liberty League Women’s Tennis major awards having won the conference tournament.  Nicole Pontee was named the conference’s Player of the Year, Jennifer Beckerman earned Rookie of the Year honors, and Kathy Campbell and her staff was tagged the Coaching Staff of the Year.