April 24, 2008

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Michigan State women' tennis senior Christine Bader was named to the All-Big Ten Team at the Big Ten Women's Tennis Banquet on Thursday, April 24. Bader also earned the distinction in her sophomore season, as she becomes the third women's tennis player in MSU history to win the award twice in her career.

Bader had her most productive year as a Spartan in her senior season, posting an 18-14 record, including 12 wins at No. 1 singles. Bader had two wins over ranked opponents in 2008, including No. 89 Yevgenia Stupak (East Tennesee State) and No. 30 Venise Chan (Washington). The Spartan senior and team captain snuck into the singles rankings near the end of the season at No. 113, becoming the third Spartan in MSU women's tennis history to be ranked nationally in singles competition.

Taking home the Sportsmanship award for the Spartans this season was junior Ana Milosavljevic.

Student-athletes chosen for the Sportsmanship award are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports competition setting.

Milosavljevic finished the 2008 campaign with a career-high 19 wins in singles play. She also finished with a team-high 20 wins in doubles, finishing the year with a 20-14 mark in doubles play.

"I couldn't be more proud of Ana and Christine," said MSU head coach Erica Perkins. "Making the All-Big Ten Team was one of Christine's goals at the beginning of the season. She put the work in, day in and day out, and competed at a level that she never had before. It is a nice reward at the end of a great spartan career. As for Ana, you couldn't imagine a better recipient. She is a great competitor who treats all around her with dignity and respect, and is a tremendous ambassador for this program."

Northwestern swept the individual awards, as freshman Maria Mosolova was selected as Big Ten Athlete of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Northwestern's head coach Claire Pollard was named Big Ten Coach of the Year after leading the Wildcats to a 23-1 record and a perfect 10-0 mark in conference play.

Mosolova becomes the seventh-consecutive Wildcat to be named Player of the Year, and the fourth-consecutive freshman from Nothwestern to earn Freshman of the Year honors.