May 11, 2011
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy women's tennis team put a cap on its record-breaking 2011 season by recognizing its senior class and handing out team awards at its season-ending banquet. The Mids finished the season with a 22-10 overall record and advanced to the finals of the Patriot League Championship in just its second season of varsity competition.
Freshman Darien Sears (Silver Spring, Md.) was named the winner of the team's Unsung Hero Award (given to the player whose contributions and achievements to the team have been unnoticed or unrecognized, but played a essential part in the success of the program). Sears had a sensational rookie season where she set a new school record with 24 victories (along with classmate Erin Snook) and finished the year with a 24-9 overall record and a 16-6 dual-meet record while playing No. 4 singles. She also went 12-13 in doubles play. Sears won her last six matches of the season and may have recorded Navy's biggest win with a 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Bucknell's Courtney Casey in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals. Sears lost the first set, then trailed 5-2 in the second set but rattling off five straight games to win the second set (7-5), before cruising in the third set. Sears helped the No. 4 slot in singles play win 23 of its 30 matches during the spring, including the No. 4 spots' last nine matches.
Freshman Caitlin Olsen (Los Gatos, Calif.) was named the recipient of the team's Most Improved Player Award (given to the player who because of her dedication and commitment to her own development has shown the greatest improvement over the past year). Olsen recorded a 7-4 overall record and after going just 1-3 in tournament play during the fall, she picked it up in the spring by posting a 6-1 dual-meet record. Four of the victories came in straight-set triumphs in which she did not allow her opponent to win more than two games in any of the sets. She also recorded a 6-4 doubles record after starting the year 1-3 in doubles play.
Senior Brittney Boucher (San Antonio, Texas) won a pair of awards during the banquet as she was honored with both the Most Inspirational Award (given to the player who has inspired her teammates with the courage and confidence she has shown in the face of adverse situations or conditions) and the Bill and Sandra Moore Most Valuable Player Award (presented to the player who has contributed most to the goals and mission of the women's tennis program for the year). Boucher fought off numerous injuries throughout the course of the year to post an 18-9 overall record and a 13-5 dual-meet mark during the season. She also posted a 19-14 doubles record and finished her career with school records in singles (32) and doubles (34) victories. After starting the season 5-5, Boucher won 13 of her last 17 singles matches, including six straight from March 26 - April 22. She went 4-1 against all Patriot League competition as a senior and during her brief two-year career, was 7-3 against all Patriot League foes. In addition, she served as the team captain this past year, leading a young team that featured just one senior academically (Amanda Griffin was a senior athletically).
Navy loses just two seniors in Boucher and Griffin from the 2011 squad. Next year's team will have no seniors on the roster and head coach Keith Puryear, the 2011 Patriot League Coach of the Year, will welcome in a recruiting class that is currently ranked 42nd in country by TennisRecruiting.net(.)
# GO NAVY #
