Wayne State’s Kristina Goranskaya Named 2011 GLIAC Women’s Tennis “Player of the Year”

Wayne State’s Kristina Goranskaya Named 2011 GLIAC Women’s Tennis “Player of the Year”

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Northwood’s Alcaraz Tabbed “Freshman of the Year,” NU’s Colestock Named “Coach of the Year”

BAY CITY, Mich. - Wayne State University senior Kristina Goranskaya (Thornhill, Ont./Northview Heights Secondary) was named the 2011 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) women’s tennis “Player of the Year” by the league’s head coaches in all-conference balloting.  The coaches named Northwood University’s Susana Alcaraz (Aguascalientes, Mexico) the league’s “Freshman of the Year,” while Zane Colestock, head coach of the Northwood team, earned GLIAC “Coach of the Year” honors.

Goranskaya becomes the second straight Warrior to be named GLIAC women’s tennis “Player of the Year” after former teammate Sharon Gill became the first WSU player to claim the award last season. Goranskaya capped off a stellar first half of the 2011-12 campaign, going 4-1 at the GLIAC Tournament and earning First-Team All-GLIAC honors for the third straight year. She received Second Team All-GLIAC accolades her freshman season.

This fall, playing the No. 1 singles position for the first time in her career, the senior posted a 17-2 record including an 11-1 conference mark. Competing at No. 1 doubles, Goranskaya and freshman Daniela Garcia-Diaz (Cali (Valle, Colombia)/Gimnasio, Britanico) went 15-4 overall and 10-2 in league play. When the tennis schedule resumes in the spring, Goranskaya needs six singles wins to equal Sharon Gill’s (2007-11) school record mark of 84. In addition, she will be three doubles wins away from tying Gill as WSU’s all-time leader.

Alcaraz led Northwood to its eighth GLIAC Championship over the last nine years, going undefeated at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles while helping the Timberwolves go unbeaten.  She went 14-0 at No. 1 doubles and 12-0 in No. 1 singles for the Timberwolves this season.  Alcaraz’s closest match in doubles was an 8-6 win, while she did not lose a set in any over her 12 singles victories.  In Northwood’s match against Wayne State, Alcaraz defeated Goranskaya, 8-1, in doubles and 6-2, 6-2 in singles.  She is the sixth Northwood player over the last eight years to claim GLIAC “Freshman of the Year” honors.

Colestock guided Northwood to its eighth GLIAC Championship over the past nine years after leading the Timberwolves to a 15-0 overall record.  Colestock’s team dominated doubles this season, posting a combined record of 41-1.  NU also was very strong in singles as well, going 66-8 (.892).  It is the seventh time in his career that Colestock has earned GLIAC “Coach of the Year” honors.  He has now won 26 combined GLIAC Championships between his men’s and women’s programs while at Northwood.

Joining Goranskaya and Alcaraz on the 2011 All-GLIAC Women’s Tennis First Team are: Ohio Dominican University sophomore Sofia Espana-Perez; Grand Valley State University senior Tara Hayes; Ferris State University sophomore Ana Jan; Michigan Technological University sophomore Natalia Lebedeva; Hillsdale College junior Bittany Parks; Saginaw Valley State University junior Yunjiao Shangguan; and Northwood senior Ekaternia Zhukoven.
   

    A complete list of the 2011 All-GLIAC women’s tennis teams are below:

2011 GLIAC Women’s Tennis Postseason Awards  

Player of the Year: Kristina Goranskaya - Wayne State

Freshman of the Year: Susana Alcaraz - Northwood

Coach of the Year: Zane Colestock – Northwood

2011 All-GLIAC Women’s Tennis Teams

First-Team

Name

School

Yr.

Hometown/High School

Susana Alcaraz

Northwood

Fr.

Aguascalientes, Mexico

Sofia Espana-Perez

Ohio Dominican

So.

Mexico City, Mexico/Bachillerato Alexander Bain

Kristina Goranskaya

Wayne State

Sr.

Thornhill, Ontario/Northview Heights

Tara Hayes

Grand Valley State

Sr.

Shelby, Twp., Mich./Michigan State

Ana Jan

Ferris State

So.

Nazor, Croatia/5 Gimnazija Vladimir

Natalia Lebedeva

Michigan Tech

So.

Nakhodka, Russia

Brittany Parks

Hillsdale

Jr.

South Lyon, Mich./Oklahoma

Yunjiao Shangguan

Saginaw Valley State

Jr.

Chengdu, China/Shiyang

Ekaternia Zhukoven

Northwood

Sr.

Stavropol, Russia

Second-Team

Name

School

Yr.

Hometown/High School

Malaika Bora Messi

Tiffin

Jr.

Yaounde, Cameroon

Leah Dancz

Grand Valley State

Fr.

Hudsonville, Mich.

Morgan Delp

Hillsdale

Fr.

Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic

Daniela Garcia-Diaz

Wayne State

Fr.

Cali (Valle, Colombia)/Gimnasio, Britanico

Victoria Goudy

Ashland

Sr.

Lexington, Ohio

Yahsha Moore

Wayne State

Fr.

West Bloomfield, Mich.

Svenja Stephan

Northwood

Jr.

Hamburg, Germany

Erika Sullivan

Ashland

Jr.

Broadview Hts., Ohio/Brecksville-Broadview Hts.

Ploy Suthijindawong

Michigan Tech

Sr.

Bangkok, Thailand/Duluth Central

Honorable Mention

Name

School

Yr.

Hometown/High School

Paige Cooper

Ashland

Sr.

Mansfield, Ohio/Lexington

Taylor Cooper

Tiffin

Sr.

Mansfield, Ohio/Lexington

Erika Ginn

Lake Erie

Fr.

Ashtabula, Ohio/Lakeside

Ayana Kobayashi

Northwood

Jr.

Shimonoseki-Shi, Japan

Anne Li Briand

Wayne State

Fr.

Repentigny, Que./Ecole Secondaire Felix-Leclerc

Morgan Linden

Hillsdale

So.

Sandusky, Ohio/St. Mary Catholic Central

Aline Mariano

Ohio Dominican

Jr.

Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Objetivo

Tess Marton

Lake Superior State

So.

Toronto, Ont.

Niki Shipman

Grand Valley State

So.

Saline, Mich.

Tabitha Simpson

Ferris State

Jr.

Copley, Ohio/St. Vincent-St.Mary’s

Chelsea Uganski

Michigan Tech

Jr.

Muskegon, Mich./Whitehall

Holly Vietzke

Findlay

Sr.

Chillicothe, Ohio

Meghan Woody

Saginaw Valley State

Fr.

Midland, Mich./Dow

Football Academic Teams
November 17, 2011 Football Academic Teams