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News Release
RETRIEVERS CLEAN UP NORTHEAST CONFERENCE TENNIS AWARDS
5/21/2002
 Keith Puryear has earned six of the last eight NEC Coach of the Year honors. |
Both UMBC tennis programs dominated the Northeast Conference All-League selections, as eleven men and women earned First Team honors. In addition, Head Coach Keith Puryear was named Men's coach of the Year for the third consecutive year, and he was tabbed Women's Coach of the Year for the third time in four seasons. Highlighting UMBC's awards on the men's side were the selections of seniors Eric Nudo and Dmitri Bondar. Nudo became the first player in league history to be a four-time all-NEC performer, earning two selections at #5 singles, one at #3 singles, and this season at #2 singles. He concluded his career with a 71-36 record. Bondar earned his third all-NEC honor, repeating at #4 singles after a season at #6. Other Retriever men earning first team honors were #1 Josef Novotny (27-4), #3 Mikhail Kouznetsov (20-6), #5 Chris Cetateanu (14-8) and #6 Luis Baraldi (21-5). The three UMBC doubles teams of #1 Novotny-Nudo (12-6), #2 Kouznetsov-Baraldi (10-10), and #3 Brandon Ferguson-Navy Tran (6-4) all were named First Team All NEC.Five of UMBC six singles players earned First Team All NEC honors, while a sixth earned a Second Team spot. Four of the five First Team All NEC picks will return next year, led by #1 junior Anita Pushpanathan (14-10), and followed by #2 sophomore Jana Karaskova (17-4), #4 freshman Lana Khvalina (22-4), and #5 freshman Aimee Lim (21-6). #6 senior Kathryn Wheatley (14-3), a two-time Academic All American, also earned First Team honors, while #3 Tia Kaasalainen (14-8) was picked to the second team. In doubles, UMBC's #2 team of Kaasalainen-Khvalina (22-4) and #3 team of Lim-Wheatley (9-3) were named First Team All NEC, while the #1 team of Pushpanathan-Karaskova (15-7) earned Second Team honors.