Gator Country

Florida Gators tennis player Lauren Embree, a junior from Marco Island, Fla., has been named the 2012 SEC Player of the Year. / Gator Country photo by Saj Guevara

Six members of the University of Florida women’s tennis team were recognized by the Southeastern Conference coaches to their All-SEC Teams, with Gator junior Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) highlighting the list as the league’s Player of the Year.

Embree is the second player in the 20-year history of the award to receive the SEC’s top individual honor twice in a career, joining Gator great Jill Craybas, who was honored in 1995 and 1996. Embree also was voted the SEC Player of the Year in 2010, when she became the first ever freshman to collect the award.

A Gator has been named the SEC Women’s Tennis Player of the Year eight times, beginning with Lisa Raymond earning the honor in 1993, the debut of the award. In addition to Embree, Raymond and Craybas, Jessica Lehnhoff received the Player of the Year recognition in 2002, Alexis Gordon in 2004 and current Gator junior Allie Will in 2011.

Six members of the University of Florida women’s tennis team were recognized by the Southeastern Conference coaches to their All-SEC Teams, with Gator junior Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) highlighting the list as the league’s Player of the Year.

Embree is the second player in the 20-year history of the award to receive the SEC’s top individual honor twice in a career, joining Gator great Jill Craybas, who was honored in 1995 and 1996. Embree also was voted the SEC Player of the Year in 2010, when she became the first ever freshman to collect the award.

A Gator has been named the SEC Women’s Tennis Player of the Year eight times, beginning with Lisa Raymond earning the honor in 1993, the debut of the award. In addition to Embree, Raymond and Craybas, Jessica Lehnhoff received the Player of the Year recognition in 2002, Alexis Gordon in 2004 and current Gator junior Allie Will in 2011.

Embree went 10-0 in SEC singles play and 18-2 overall. She and senior Joanna Mather, who was voted to the 2012 All-SEC First Team, have been dominate in doubles, going 20-0 in dual matches with a perfect 11-0 SEC record.

Will was named First Team All-SEC for a third consecutive year, while Mather earned a spot on the league’s first team for the second time in her career, and the first time since her freshman season. Sophomore Sofie Oyen also was voted a First Team All-SEC performer for the second straight year.

Alexandra Cercone and Caroline Hitimana both were recognized to the All-SEC Second Team, marking Cercone’s second consecutive time making the list and the first ever SEC honor for Hitimana, a junior.

Alabama’s Jenny Mainz was named SEC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year, while Georgia’s Lauren Herring was named Freshman of the Year.

Scholar-Athlete of the Year was awarded to Alabama’s Courtney McLane for the second consecutive year.  She earned her undergraduate degree in three years, while holding a 4.0 GPA and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in marketing, where she also holds a 4.0 GPA.

Ties are not broken which resulted in a 15-member second-team and a seven-member All-Freshman team.

A complete list of the 2012 SEC awards follows:

Coach of the Year: Jenny Mainz, Alabama
Player of the Year: Lauren Embree, Florida
Freshman of the Year: Lauren Herring, Georgia
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Courtney McLane, Alabama

All-SEC First Team
Alexa Guarachi, Alabama
Mary Anne Macfarlane, Alabama
Lauren Embree, Florida
Joanna Mather, Florida
Sofie Oyen, Florida
Allie Will, Florida
Chelsey Gullickson, Georgia
Lauren Herring, Georgia
Maho Kowase, Georgia
Kristi Boxx, Ole Miss
Brynn Boren, Tennessee
Jackie Wu, Vanderbilt

All-SEC Second Team
Courtney McLane, Alabama
Alexandra Cercone, Florida
Caroline Hitimana, Florida
Kate Fuller, Georgia
Nadja Gilchrist, Georgia
Lilly Kimbell, Georgia
Abby Guthrie, Ole Miss
Caroline Rohde-Moe, Ole Miss
Erin Stephens, Ole Miss
Jaklin Alawi, South Carolina
Anya Morgina, South Carolina
Natalie Pluskota, Tennessee
Kata Szekely, Tennessee
Marie Casares, Vanderbilt
Lauren Mira, Vanderbilt

All-Freshman Team
Lauren Herring, Georgia
Marie Casares, Vanderbilt
Ashleigh Antal, Vanderbilt
Julia Jones, Ole Miss
Erin Stephens, Ole Miss
Stephanie Fox, Kentucky
Edmée Morin-Kougoucheff, Kentucky

Courtesy UF Communications

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