Women's Tennis

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – Coming off the first NCAA Championship bid in the history of the program, Bard College has been selected as the preseason favorite to capture the Skyline Conference title as voted upon by the conference’s head coaches. Veteran head coach Fred Feldman’s squad joins the Skyline Conference after earning the North Eastern Athletic Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament last year.

The NCAA Tournament berth for the Raptors in women’s tennis last season was the first for Bard in any sport. Bard will be part of a revamped Skyline Conference this fall that features nine teams in women’s tennis. The conference previously had five teams in women’s tennis prior to the addition of Bard College, Polytechnic University, Purchase College and Russell Sage College. The Skyline Conference will now be eligible for an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Championship beginning in 2009-2010.

Bard, which went 8-2 during the regular season, returns a well rounded lineup from last year’s NCAA Tournament team. Genya Shimkin and Chelsea Herman earned First Team All-NEAC honors last season at third and fourth singles respectively while Alanna Costelloe-Kuehn was an honorable mention All-NEAC selection at sixth singles.

Another Skyline newcomer, Purchase College, was picked second. The Panthers return a pair of all-conference performers from last season in seniors Nicole Wiktor and Margo Van Hoy. Wiktor was the sixth-flight singles co-champion while Van Hoy earned honorable mention All-NEAC honors at second singles.

Mount Saint Mary, which finished third in the Skyline Conference last fall, was picked third. The Blue Knights will be anchored at first singles by First Team All-Skyline selection, senior Gina Trapini. Sophomore Caitlin Giordano was a Second Team All-Skyline selection as a freshman last season.

SKYLINE CONFERENCE WOMEN’S TENNIS 2007 PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL

1. Bard                (7) 62


2. Purchase            (1) 56


3. Mount Saint Mary    (1) 52


4. Russell Sage            38


5. St. Joseph’s-L.I.       35


6. Yeshiva                 31


7. Mount Saint Vincent     27


8. Polytechnic             15


9. Farmingdale State        8

(first-place votes in parentheses)