WINTHROP, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) announced its 2024 Women's Tennis All-Conference Team and major award winners on Tuesday afternoon.
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.
Colby-Sawyer's Payton Dugan took home this year's Women's Tennis Player of the Year Award, as announced by the league office on Tuesday. Taking home Rookie of the Year honors was Simmons' first-year Masha Shutts and Sharks head coach Bob Rauseo was honored as 2024 Coach of the Year while Albertus Magnus won the Institutional Sportsmanship Award.
The full list of All-Conference honorees can be viewed below.
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PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Payton Dugan, Colby-Sawyer Dugan had a year to remember for the Chargers as the sophomore went undefeated in GNAC play playing the #1 spot at singles and doubles during the regular season, going 7-0 (4-0 in singles, 3-0 in doubles) in GNAC Play while also finishing the regular season at 13-2 overall (7-1 in singles, 6-1 in doubles). Her efforts led Colby-Sawyer to an undefeated conference year (4-0) and being named the no. 1 seed in this year's GNAC Women's Tennis Tournament where the sophomore guided the Chargers to their fourth consecutive conference title, being named on the all-tournament team. Dugan was named athlete of the week once on Sept. 16 this past season as well. This is the second year in a row a Charger has won Player of the Year honors with teammate Grace Carpenter winning it last year. |
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ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Masha Shutts, Simmons Shutts made her presence known as the top ace for Simmons this year as she claims the 2024 Rookie of the Year Award. This is the second consecutive year the Sharks take home the Rookie of the Year award as her doubles teammate Emilie Lapointe won it the previous season. Shutts went 18-5 overall on the season (10-2 in singles play, 8-3 in doubles play) and went 6-1 in conference play (3-1 in singles, 3-0 in doubles) with her lone loss at the hands of Player of the Year Payton Dugan. The first-year led Simmons to a third seed in the conference tournament. The first-year from Wellesley, Mass. collected two Player and Rookie of the Week awards this past season on Sept. 30 and Oct. 14. |
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COACH OF THE YEAR Bob Rauseo, Simmons Rauseo has an historical resume in the GNAC. He adds to his collection this season, earning his ninth Coach of the Year Award. He is currently ranked amongst the top-40 NCAA Division III coaches in both winning percentage and total wins. He led a Simmons squad that went 2-2 in GNAC play and 8-6 overall, placing the Sharks as the third seed in this year's conference tournament. |
2024 Women's Tennis All-GNAC Teams
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM SINGLES
Juju Oliver, Albertus Magnus
Payton Dugan, Colby-Sawyer
Emilie Lapointe, Simmons
Masha Shutts, Simmons
Maddie Rossetti, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Olivia Santoro, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM DOUBLES
Emilie Lapointe, Masha Shutts - Simmons
MAJOR AWARDS
Player of the Year - Payton Dugan, Colby-Sawyer
Rookie of the Year - Masha Shutts, Simmons
Coach of the Year - Bob Rauseo, Simmons
Institutional Sportsmanship - Albertus Magnus
ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Juju Oliver, Albertus Magnus
Avery Nielsen, Colby-Sawyer
Shyann Texiera, Regis
Grace Burke, Simmons
Liliana Garcia, 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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