Paige Wise of Francis Marion Named ITA Southeast Region Rookie of the Year
GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced the recipients of the 2022 Division II Women’s Regional Awards on Tuesday afternoon and Paige Wise of Francis Marion was named Southeast Region Rookie of the Year.
The 2022 Conference Carolinas Women’s Tennis Player of the Year, recorded a perfect 15-0 mark in singles play, including a 12-0 record in conference play at the No.1 position. The Ballito, South Africa native dropped only two sets all season and was not involved in any tiebreakers. No Patriot female has ever gone through an entire (full) season of competition unbeaten in singles.
In doubles action, she played mostly with junior Hermon Mikael and posted an 8-8 record all at the No.1 spot. Wise helped lead FMU to a 14-5 record, a 10-win improvement over last season, and the No. 2 seed in the Conference Carolinas tournament.
Wise is the second Conference Carolinas women’s tennis student-athlete to earn the award as Kayla Vaughn of Belmont Abbey earned the honor in 2020.
Every year the ITA recognizes coaches and players for their excellence on the court and in their communities throughout the season.
The Division II Playing Awards include: Wilson ITA Coach of the Year, ITA Assistant Coach of the Year, Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship, ITA Rookie of the Year, ITA Most Improved Senior, ITA Senior Player of the Year, and ITA Community Service Award.
The national award winners will be announced next Tuesday, June 14th. The complete release is available here.