WINTHROP, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) announced its 2023 Women's Tennis All-Conference Team and major award winners on Wednesday afternoon. Colby-Sawyer led the conference with three student-athletes being recognized.

Voting was conducted by the league's five women's tennis head coaches following the regular season and did not take postseason play into account.

Among the Chargers recognized was junior Grace Carpenter who was voted the 2023 GNAC Player of the Year. Meanwhile, Simmons first-year Emilie Lapointe was recognized as this year's Rookie of the Year. Chargers head coach Barry Schoonmaker was honored as 2023 Coach of the Year and Albertus Magnus won the Institutional Sportsmanship Award.

The full list of All-Conference honorees can be viewed below.

	PLAYER OF THE YEAR Grace Carpenter, Colby-Sawyer Carpenter was a staple atop of Colby-Sawyer's lineup, playing at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles all year. She recorded a 4-4 record in singles play and went 7-4 in doubles play, including 2-1 conference marks in both singles and doubles. Her performance helped the Chargers to a perfect 4-0 GNAC (6-4-1 overall) and earn the top seed in the GNAC Championship Tournament.
	ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Emilie Lapointe, Simmons Lapointe established herself as Simmons' ace in her rookie season. She played at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles all year. In singles play, she was 6-7 in singles with a 4-0 record in GNAC competition and earned four victories as part of the Sharks top doubles pair, including one win in conference matches. She was named GNAC Player of the Week once in the week ending Sept. 10 and also earned Rookie of the Week honors in the weeks ending Sept. 10 and Oct. 1.
	COACH OF THE YEAR Barry Schoonmaker, Colby-Sawyer Schoonmaker has had a lot of success since joining the conference as he earns his second Coach of the Year honor in three non-COVID seasons. This year, he led the Chargers to a perfect 4-0 (6-4-1 overall) record in GNAC play and earned the No. 1 seed in the GNAC Tournament. His team showed a lot of depth as it only dropped four points in the four conference matches, which included two 9-0 sweeps.

2023 Women's Tennis All-GNAC Teams

ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM SINGLES

Grace Carpenter, Jr., Colby-Sawyer
Maria Espinosa Lopez, Fy., Colby-Sawyer
Liliana Garcia, So., University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Elise Hogan, Jr., Colby-Sawyer
Emilie Lapointe, Fy., Simmons
Kiana Thompson, So., Regis

ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM DOUBLES

Kiana Thompson (So.) & Stephanie Beatrice (Sr.), Regis

MAJOR AWARDS

Player of the Year - Grace Carpenter, Colby-Sawyer
Rookie of the Year - Emilie Lapointe, Simmons
Coach of the Year - Barry Schoonmaker, Colby-Sawyer
Institutional Sportsmanship - Albertus Magnus                                                                                                                 

ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM

Bailey Mitchell-Warren, Albertus Magnus
Taylor Bentley, Colby-Sawyer
Sophi Machado, Regis
Ainsley Foster, Simmons
Kathleen Gilland, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)

ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.

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