ITA Regional Division II Awards

TEMPE, Ariz. – In a Tuesday announcement by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, Academy of Art women's tennis senior Mariacristina Andrisani was announced as the recipient of three different honors. Recognized for her commitment on and off the court, Andrisani earned the ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award, the ITA Most Improved Senior Award, and the ITA Senior Player of the Year Award.
 
"Congratulations to Mariacristina for being recognized," said head coach Clarisse Baca. "Winning three awards out of five at the regional level is very impressive. The Most Improved Senior and Senior Player of the Year awards show the dedication, perseverance, and overall everyday hard work that she has put in since freshman year. To this day, I don't know anyone that has worked as hard as Mariacristina in the last four years and this just shows the type of leader and captain that she is. I'm incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to coach her for the last three seasons."

Simultaneously honored for showing the most improvement over the course of her collegiate career to eventually have the best year among all student-athletes in her class this past season, Andrisani has demonstrated unwavering devotion to Academy of Art. After playing at the second, third, and fourth singles positions and second and third doubles positions for the first three years of her career, the Interior Architecture & Design major stepped into the top spot in both formats in 2020. She thrived there this past season, going 6-1 in singles and 4-2 in doubles with sophomore partner Sofia Ragona while also earning the first Pacific West Conference Player of the Week honor along the way.

The prestigious ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award, which dates back to 1982, is presented to student-athletes who have exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership, as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements in ways that embody the legacy of tennis icon and humanitarian Arthur Ashe Jr. To Baca, lone senior Andrisani's leadership role both on and off the court has been embodied by exemplary work in terms of community service, internships, and as a team captain just to name a few.

"I couldn't think of anyone more deserving in the whole region," said Baca. "It's always really refreshing when coaches from other West Region schools would come to me and say what a class act and great competitor that Mariacristina is. It makes me feel like a proud mother."

Andrisani is the first Urban Knight in program history to be honored with the ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award and ITA Senior Player of the Year Award as well as the second to earn the ITA Most Improved Senior Award after Klara Thell-Lenntorp was selected in 2019.