2012-13 Women's Tennis Fact Book

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1 2012-13 UAB Women’s Tennis Women’s Tennis 2012-13 1 2 3 4-5 6-11 12 13-17 18 19-20 21 22-23 25-27 Contents/Quick Facts Roster Information 2013 Season Notebook Coaching Staff Returning Player Bios Newcomer Bios Conference USA UAB Administration Birmingham UAB “At A Glance” “Proud Past, Bright Future” CREDITS: e 2013 UAB women’s tennis media guide is an official production of the UAB Athletic Media Relations Office. e guide was designed, written and edited by Tray Littlefield, assistant athletic media relations director. Special thanks to Tyson Matthews. Photographs provided by Nik Layman and Steve Wood. “UAB At A Glance” section designed by UAB Creative Services. UAB Women’s Tennis Quick Facts University Quick Facts School ................................................ UAB University of Alabama at Birmingham Founded ...............................................1969 Location ..................................... Birmingham, Ala. Enrollment ........................................... 17,543 Nickname. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blazers Mascot Name ...........................................Blaze Colors .............................. Forest Green and Old Gold Affiliation .................................... NCAA Division I Conference ............................ Conference USA (C-USA) Interim President ...........................Dr. Richard Marchase Faculty Athletics Representative .................. Dr. Frank Messina Director of Athletics ............................... Brian Mackin Athletic Department Phone ....................... (205) 975-8221 Website ................................... www.uabsports.com Women’s Tennis Quick Facts Head Coach .....................Lisa Jackson (UT-Arlington, 2001) UAB Record (Yrs.) ........................................ 0-0 Career Record (Yrs.) ....................................... 0-0 Assistant Coach .............. Mallory Waites (North Alabama, 2010) Letterwinners Returning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Letterwinners Lost ..........................................2 Newcomers ...............................................2 2012 Overall Record ..................................... 6-12 2012 Conference USA Record ............................... 1-2 Home Courts ............................... UAB Tennis Courts History & Honors

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2012-13 Women's Tennis Fact Book

Transcript of 2012-13 Women's Tennis Fact Book

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Contents/Quick Facts

Roster Information

2013 Season Notebook

Coaching Staff

Returning Player Bios

Newcomer Bios

Conference USA

UAB Administration

Birmingham

UAB “At A Glance”

“Proud Past, Bright Future”

CREDITS: The 2013 UAB women’s tennis media guide is an official production of the UAB Athletic Media Relations Office. The guide was designed, written and edited by Tray Littlefield, assistant athletic media relations director. Special thanks to Tyson Matthews. Photographs provided by Nik Layman and Steve Wood. “UAB At A Glance” section designed by UAB Creative Services.

UAB Women’s Tennis

Quick Facts

University Quick FactsSchool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .UAB University of Alabama at BirminghamFounded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1969Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Birmingham, Ala.Enrollment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,543Nickname. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BlazersMascot Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BlazeColors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Forest Green and Old GoldAffiliation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NCAA Division IConference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conference USA (C-USA)Interim President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dr. Richard MarchaseFaculty Athletics Representative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Frank MessinaDirector of Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brian MackinAthletic Department Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (205) 975-8221Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.uabsports.com

Women’s Tennis Quick FactsHead Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lisa Jackson (UT-Arlington, 2001)UAB Record (Yrs.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-0Career Record (Yrs.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-0Assistant Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mallory Waites (North Alabama, 2010)Letterwinners Returning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Letterwinners Lost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Newcomers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22012 Overall Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-122012 Conference USA Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2Home Courts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UAB Tennis Courts

History & Honors

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2012-13 UAB Women’s Tennis Roster Name Class Height Hometown (Previous School)Rachel Cohen Sr. 5-5 Birmingham, Ala./Mountain Brook HSRachel Daniell So. 5-8 Douglasville, Ga./Independent Studies at Johnson FerryCaroline Faught Jr. 5-8 Birmingham, Ala./Vestavia Hills HSIsabel Fernandez Sr. 5-8 Gijon, Spain/VCUAmy Lowther Fr. 5-5 Seminole, Fla./Seminole HSMenanteau Moolman Sr. 5-8 Bloemhof, South Africa/Bloemhof Girl’s HSElaine Simon Fr. 5-1 Monroe, La./St. Frederick HSSarah Witkowski RS So. 5-6 Peachtree City, Ga./Memphis

Coaching StaffHead Coach: Lisa Jackson (UT Arlington, 2001)

Assistant Coach: Mallory Waites (North Alabama, 2010)

2012-13 UAB Women’s Tennis Team

Roster Information

Breakdown

By ClassFreshmen: 2 (Lowther, Simon)Sophomores: 2 (Daniell, Witkowski)Juniors: 1 (Faught)Seniors: 3 (Cohen, Fernandez, Moolman)

PronunciationsRachel Daniell . . . . . . . . . . . . . (like Daniel)Caroline Faught . . care-o-LINE (like fought)Menanteau Moolman . . . . . . . .men-ON-too

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Jackson Era Begins UAB head coach Lisa Jackson enters her first season with the team in 2013. Jackson comes to the Blazers from LSU, where she spent the last seven years as the assistant head coach.

NCAA Norm For Jackson The new Blazer head coach helped LSU to four NCAA tournament appearances during her time in Baton Rouge. The Tigers moved to as high as No. 16 nationally during Jackson’s time with the school as she was named the 2007 ITA Southwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year.

Returning Players The Blazers welcome back six players from last year’s squad, including seniors Rachel Co-hen, Isabel Fernandez and Menanteau Mool-man. Joining that senior class are returners Rachel Daniell (So.), Caroline Faught (Jr.) and Sarah Witkowski (RS So.).

New Faces UAB welcomes two newcomers this season in freshmen Amy Lowther and Elaine Simon. Lowther, who is from Seminole, Fla., played at the No. 1 singles position for most of her high school career, and was the 2009 District Singles Champion as well as the 2012 District Doubles Champion. Simon comes to UAB by way of Monroe, La., where she was a four-time state champion at St. Frederick’s High School. She claimed six regional championships and was twice named her team’s MVP during her career.

It’s Academic Five of the six returners to this year’s squad were recognized for their academic achieve-ments last season. All five were named to the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll, while Rachel Daniell, Caroline Faught and Menanteau Moolman each earned the C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal.

Daniell Wins Leader Sophomore Rachel Daniell returns as the leading wins leader from a season ago. Daniell paced the squad with an 18-11 singles record over the fall and spring seasons. She also had a combined doubles record of 16-14, playing every match with teammate Menanteau Mool-man.

Lowther Shines in the Fall UAB competed in four fall tournaments this season, giving newcomers like freshmen Amy Lowther and Elaine Simon a chance to compete right away. Lowther went on a four-match win streak in the fall, compiling wins against players from Samford, Lipscomb, Emory and North Florida. Meanwhile, Simon picked up two impressive wins on the fall season, defeating opponents from Chattanooga and Samford.

2012-13 Season Notebook

A Look At Spring 2013 ...

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Lisa Jackson, who has spent the past seven years as LSU’s assistant head women’s tennis coach, has been named head coach of the UAB women’s ten-nis program.

Jackson helped the Tigers to four NCAA tourna-ment appearances during her time in Baton Rouge and also played a major role in the program’s re-cruiting efforts. She was recognized in 2007 as the ITA Southwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year.

A native of Johannesburg, South Africa, Jackson will replace former UAB head coach Krissy Hall, who returned home to Spartanburg, S.C., to be-come the head women’s tennis coach at Wofford in May.

“I’d like to thank (UAB athletic director) Brian Mackin, (Associate AD) Corey Bray and UAB Athletics for the opportunity,” Jackson said. “I’m excited to get started, and I look forward to work-ing tirelessly to build a strong program at UAB,

both on the court and in the classroom.”

Jackson helped LSU to a No. 16 national ranking during the 2008-09 season and also tutored three-time All-American and All-SEC selection Megan Falcon. The 2007 SEC Player of the Year, Falcon became the first Tiger ever to achieve a No. 1 ITA singles ranking and also reached No. 10 in the doubles rankings with partner Mykala Hedberg.

“We are thrilled to welcome Lisa Jackson to the UAB family,” Mackin said. “She has a proven track record during her time at LSU, and she brings great experience to our program, both as a player and a coach. Lisa possesses the qualities we feel will lead our program to new heights.”

Jackson assisted with all aspects of LSU’s practice planning, recruiting and team travel in addition to overseeing the program’s budget. She helped the Tigers land no fewer than six five-star recruits dur-ing her time there and achieve the nation’s 17th-ranked recruiting class in 2006.

LSU reached double-digit win totals each year Jackson was on staff, including a 16-10 mark in 2007, playing a rugged schedule that included the always-challenging SEC slate.

Jackson also helped oversee a program at LSU with

First Season

Head Coach Lisa Jackson

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Coaching Staffhigh academic standards. The Tigers had 38 Aca-demic All-SEC selections while she was there.

Before going to LSU, Jackson spent two seasons as the associate head coach at Louisiana-Lafayette. She helped the Ragin’ Cajuns improve from a 1-13 record a year before she arrived to a 10-9 finish in her second season in 2005. She went to ULL after beginning her coaching career as a graduate assistant at her alma mater, UT Arlington, from 2001-04.

Jackson was the Southland Conference Player of the Year at UT Arlington in both 1999 and 2000. She was ranked among the top 30 in the nation in doubles and led the Mavericks to Southland Con-ference championships in each of her three years with the program. She began her collegiate ca-reer at William Carey College in Gulfport, Miss., where she was a second-team NAIA All-American as a freshman after a standout junior career in South Africa.

Jackson earned her bachelor’s degree in 2001 and her master’s degree in 2003, both in psychology and both from UT Arlington.

The Jackson File

Head CoachUAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . July 2012-Present

Assistant CoachLSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2005-2012

Associate Head CoachLouisiana-Lafayette . . . . . . . . . . 2004-2005

Graduate AssistantUT Arlington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2001-2004

Playing CareerUT Arlington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1998-2001William Carey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1997-1998

EducationBachelor’s . . . . . . . . . . .UT Arlington, 2001Master’s . . . . . . . . . . . .UT Arlington, 2003

Mallory Waites is in her third season working with the UAB women’s tennis pro-gram. She was a volunteer assistant in the fall of 2010 before becoming assistant coach in the spring of 2011. A Birmingham native, Waites played ten-nis collegiately at North Alabama from 2007 to 2010. She was a first-team All-Gulf South Conference selection in 2009 and was named second-team all-league three times. In 2010, she was honored on the GSC All-Decade Team. Waites was also the GSC East Division Freshman of the Year in 2007. She helped North Alabama to appearances in the NCAA Division II tournament in both 2007 and 2008. Waites played her prep tennis in the Birmingham area at Oak Mountain High School, where she was a state champion. She has spent time teaching tennis at Inverness Tennis Center and Brook High-land Racquet Club in the Birmingham area, working with high school and middle school

teams as well as junior players. Waites earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing from North Alabama in 2010 and is currently working on her master’s degree in coaching and sports management from the United States Sports Academy.

Mallory Waites | Assistant Coach

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Rachel Cohen5-foot-5 >> SeniorBirmingham, Ala. >> Mountain Brook HS

Junior (2011-12): Named to the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll … (Spring 2012): Went 3-7 in dual-match singles action, playing at the No. 6 position … battled through injury during the spring season and had to retire in two of her losses … went 1-4 in doubles action, teaming with Richole Berger and Caroline Faught … (Fall 2011): Posted a 1-4 singles record in fall tournaments … went 3-1 on the doubles courts and teamed with Paula Alvarez to win their doubles flight at Alabama’s Roberta Alison Fall Classic.

Sophomore (2010-11): (Spring 2011): Saw action in two dual matches at No. 6 singles and two at No. 3 doubles ... (Fall 2010): Posted a 4-6 singles record in tournament action ... went 2-1 in her round-robin flight at the Rice Invitational.

Freshman (2009-10): (Spring 2010): Played one singles match at the No. 6 position ... saw doubles action in two matches at the No. 3 spot ... (Fall 2009): Went 2-3 in singles and 1-3 in doubles during the fall tournament schedule, part-nering with teammate Krista Cole.

Pre-UAB: Played at Mountain Brook High School in the Birmingham area, where she was a standout in both singles and doubles ... made four state finals appearances in singles, including a state championship in her flight as a freshman ... also named her team’s MVP that year ... made three state finals appearances in doubles, winning state titles as both a junior and a senior ... a team captain ... also an accomplished USTA junior player ... climbed as high as No. 3 in the rankings in the state of Alabama and reached the top 100 in the South region.

Personal: Rachel Elizabeth Cohen ... born Jan. 30, 1991 ... daughter of Adam and Brenda Cohen ... majoring in health science.

Cohen’s Career RecordSingles Total Tournament Dual C-USA #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #62009-10 2-4 2-3 0-1 0-1 -- -- -- -- -- 0-12010-11 4-8 4-6 0-2 0-1 -- -- -- -- -- 0-22011-12 4-11 1-4 3-7 0-1 -- -- -- -- -- 3-7Totals 10-23 7-13 3-10 0-3 -- -- -- -- -- 3-10

Doubles Total Tournament Dual C-USA #1 #2 #32009-10 1-5 1-3 0-2 0-1 -- -- 0-22010-11 1-2 1-0 0-2 0-0 -- -- 0-22011-12 4-5 3-1 1-4 0-0 -- -- 1-4Totals 2-7 2-3 0-4 0-1 -- -- 1-8

Returning Players

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Caroline Faught5-foot-8 >> JuniorBirmingham, Ala. >> Vestavia Hills HS

Sophomore (2011-12): Earned the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal and named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll … (Spring 2012): Managed a 9-6 record in dual-match singles action for the best winning percentage on the team … split time between the No. 4 and No. 5 singles positions … all nine of her victories came in straight sets while three of her losses came in three-setters … won six of her first eight matches before splitting her final six evenly … played the No. 3 doubles position, where she posted a 6-8 record, including a 5-5 mark with Sarah Witkowski … (Fall 2011): Limited in the fall season because of injury … played in only three singles matches but won them all at the Southern Miss Hal-loween Classic … went 5-3 in fall doubles action, playing most often with Isabel Fernandez.

Freshman (2010-11): (Spring 2011): Joined Paula Alvarez as the only two Blazers to play singles in all 20 dual matches ... managed a 9-11 record in singles ... played most of her matches at the No. 4 (5-8 record) and No. 5 (3-3 record) positions in the lineup ... was 2-2 in three-set matches ... compiled a 7-11 mark in doubles ... teamed with four different partners and played every position in the doubles lineup ... played most often with Brittany DeFelice ... the duo posted a 4-6 record at No. 3 doubles ... (Fall 2010): Went 9-9 in singles action in fall tournaments ... won three of her first four matches of the fall ... played in the B singles consola-tion final at the UTC Steve Baras Fall Classic ... posted a 4-8 doubles record.

Pre-UAB: A 4-star recruit by tennisrecruiting.net ... ranked as high as No. 132 in the na-tion ... consistently listed among the top three in the state of Alabama in the USTA rankings and held a final ranking of No. 21 in South in the Girls 16’s ... team captain and MVP at Vestavia Hills ... helped her team to three consecutive state championships ... began playing on the Vestavia Hills varsity team in seventh grade and advanced to the state semifinals at No. 2 singles her first two years ... won the No. 2 singles state title as a sophomore and finished as the state runner-up at the No. 1 position as a junior ... started playing tennis under the tutelage of UAB men’s tennis coach Derek Tarr, who also teaches at Brook Highland Racquet Club.

Personal: Caroline Davis Faught ... born Aug. 3, 1992 ... daughter of John and Elizabeth Faught ... has two younger sisters ... grandfather Harold Faught played basketball at Birming-ham-Southern ... majoring in exercise science.

Faught’s Career RecordSingles Total Tournament Dual C-USA #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #62010-11 18-20 9-9 9-11 0-4 -- -- 1-0 5-8 3-3 --2011-12 12-6 3-0 9-6 1-2 -- -- -- 3-4 6-2 --Totals 18-20 9-9 9-11 0-4 -- -- 1-0 5-8 3-3 --

Doubles Total Tournament Dual C-USA #1 #2 #32010-11 11-19 4-8 7-11 0-3 1-1 2-3 4-72011-12 11-11 5-3 6-8 1-2 -- -- 6-8Totals 22-30 9-11 13-19 1-5 1-1 2-3 10-15

Returning Players

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Menanteau Moolman5-foot-8 >> SeniorBloemhof, South Africa >> Bloemhof Girls’ HS

Junior (2011-12): Earned the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal and named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll … played every doubles match, both fall and spring, with Rachel Daniell as the duo went 16-14 together … (Spring 2012): Posted a 6-12 dual-match record in singles, splitting time between the No. 4 and No. 5 positions … went 5-7 at the No. 4 spot … combined with Rachel Daniell to form UAB’s most successful doubles team, going 10-9 at the No. 2 position … had an eight-match winning streak with Daniell from Feb. 25 through March 25 … (Fall 2011): Managed a 5-9 singles record during the fall tournament schedule … advanced to the semifinals of the B Flight at the USTA/ITA Southern Regional … paired with Daniell for a 6-5 doubles record … the duo reached the finals of their flights at Chattanooga’s Steve Baras Fall Classic and Alabama’s Roberta Alison Fall Classic.

Sophomore (2010-11): (Spring 2011): Went 3-4 in dual-match singles action with a 1-0 record at the No. 5 spot and a 2-4 mark at No. 6 ... won three straight matches after dropping her first ... also saw doubles action at the No. 3 position ... (Fall 2010): Posted a 7-10 singles record during the fall tournament season ... advanced to the finals of her singles flight at the UTC Steve Baras Fall Classic.

Freshman (2009-10): (Spring 2010): Enrolled at UAB in January 2010 and post-ed a 4-12 singles record in dual-match play ... saw most of her action at the No. 4 position, where she played 14 of her 16 matches ... finished with a 2-11 record in doubles, playing at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions with three different partners.

Pre-UAB: Chosen to play on provincial and national teams since 2003 ... played in vari-ous junior International Tennis Federation tournaments worldwide ... ranked first in South Africa in doubles and ninth in singles ... personal-best ITF ranking was 550 ... three-year captain of her high school team ... part of one of the most succesful programs in South Africa at Bloemhof Girls’ High School, which has won the Amanda Coetzer National Tournament for nine straight years ... a key player on four of those championship teams ... ranked 18th in her high school class at Bloemhof, one of the top academic schools in South Africa.

Personal: Menanteau Eleonora Moolman ... born Jan. 8, 1991 ... daughter of Jansie and Maritha Moolman ... majoring in accounting.

Moolman’s Career RecordSingles Total Tournament Dual C-USA #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #62009-10 4-12 -- 4-12 0-3 -- -- 1-1 3-11 -- --2010-11 10-14 7-10 3-4 0-0 -- -- -- -- 1-0 2-42011-12 11-21 5-9 6-12 1-1 -- -- -- 5-7 1-5 --Totals 25-47 12-19 14-28 1-4 -- -- 1-1 8-18 2-5 2-4

Doubles Total Tournament Dual C-USA #1 #2 #32009-10 2-11 -- 2-11 0-3 -- 1-5 1-62010-11 1-11 1-5 0-6 0-1 -- -- 0-62011-12 16-14 6-5 10-9 0-3 -- 10-9 --Totals 19-36 7-10 12-26 0-7 -- 11-14 1-12

Returning Players

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Freshman (2011-12): Earned the Conference USA Commissioner’s Aca-demic Medal and named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll … put to-gether a combined 18-11 singles record, the best on the team, over the fall and spring seasons … had a combined doubles record of 16-14, playing every match with Menanteau Moolman … (Spring 2012): Finished with a 10-7 record and the most wins on the team in dual-match singles action … played every contest at the No. 3 position … four of her seven losses came in three sets, including two in match tiebreakers, one of which was to 69th-ranked Stefanie Mikesz of Memphis ... held a record of 4-3 in three-setters, including a win versus East Carolina at the C-USA tournament … went 2-1 against C-USA opponents and took the first set from Caroline Thornton of No. 58 Tulane in a match that was unfinished … teamed with Menanteau Moolman at No. 2 doubles to post a team-best 10-9 record in the spring … won eight straight matches with Moolman from Feb. 25 through March 25 … (Fall 2011): Managed a team-best 8-4 record in tournament singles play … posted a 3-1 record in three-setters … went 6-5 in doubles action with Menanteau Moolman … the pair advanced to the finals of their flights at Chattanooga’s Steve Baras Fall Classic and Alabama’s Roberta Alison Fall Classic.

Pre-UAB: A four-star recruit by tennisrecruiting.net ... cracked the top 50 rank-ings in the USTA South Region in every age group ... reached as high as the top 20 in the region and the top 100 nationally ... attended the Independent Studies at Johnson Ferry private school ... competed out of Atlanta Tennis Incorporated ... was the No. 1 player on the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association Challenge Ladder in 2008 ... won singles and doubles titles along with the sportsmanship award in the 18’s division at the 2009 Georgia State Winter Open ... won a silver medal in doubles at the USTA National Open ... was vice president of her National Honor Society chapter.

Personal: Rachel Alexandria Daniell ... born June 15, 1993 ... daughter of Ray and Ali Daniell ... has one sister ... majoring in biology with a pre-med focus.

Returning Players

Rachel Daniell5-foot-8 >> SophomoreDouglasville, Ga. >> Independent Studies at Johnson Ferry

Daniell’s Career RecordSingles Total Tournament Dual C-USA #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #62011-12 18-11 8-4 10-7 1-1 -- -- 10-7 -- -- --Totals 18-11 8-4 10-7 1-1 -- -- 10-7 -- -- --

Doubles Total Tournament Dual C-USA #1 #2 #32011-12 16-14 6-5 10-9 0-3 -- 10-9 --Totals 16-14 6-5 10-9 0-3 -- 10-9 --

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Junior (2011-12): Posted a combined singles record of 13-18 over the fall and spring seasons for the second-most wins on the team … (Spring 2012): Played the top two positions in the singles lineup … went 6-7 at No. 2 singles and 1-5 at No. 1 for an overall spring mark of 7-12 … held a record of 5-1 in three-set matches … paired with Paula Alvarez for every match at No. 1 doubles … the duo managed a record of 7-11 … (Fall 2011): Went 6-6 in singles play during the fall tournament season … posted a 5-4 record in doubles action, playing with Paula Alvarez and Caroline Faught.

Pre-UAB: Began her college career at VCU, where she joined the Rams team in January 2011 and played her first collegiate season that spring ... was part of a Rams team that spent much of the year in the top 25 of the ITA rankings and earned an at-large berth into the NCAA tournament ... went 1-1 during the dual-match season in limited action as a newcomer ... was ranked among the top 10 in her age group during her junior career in Spain.

Personal: Isabel Fernández Fernández ... born Dec. 12, 1989 ... Nieves Fernández Riesgo and Antonio Fernández Casielles ... has one sister ... majoring in economincs.

Returning Players

Isabel Fernandez5-foot-8 >> SeniorGijon, Spain >> VCU

Fernandez UAB Career RecordSingles Total Tournament Dual C-USA #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #62011-12 13-18 6-6 7-12 0-3 1-5 6-7 -- -- -- --Totals 13-18 6-6 7-12 0-3 1-5 6-7 -- -- -- --

Doubles Total Tournament Dual C-USA #1 #2 #32011-12 12-15 5-4 7-11 1-1 7-11 -- --Totals 12-15 5-4 7-11 1-1 7-11 -- --

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Freshman (2011-12): Named to the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll … (Spring 2012): Battled back from injury to compete in doubles over the last half of the season and singles in the finals weeks of the spring campaign … went 1-2 at No. 6 singles with a win against East Carolina at the Conference USA tournament … paired with Caroline Faught for 10 doubles matches at the No. 3 position … the duo went 5-5 together, including four straight wins at one point … (Fall 2011): Missed the entire fall tournament schedule because of injury.

Pre-UAB: Spent her first collegiate season at Memphis ... went 2-2 in singles and 2-1 in doubles during an injury-shortened fall season ... also missed the spring cam-paign due to injury and received a redshirt ... home-schooled as a high schooler ... won the Georgia Independent School Association Class AA girls’ state singles cham-pionship as a freshman in 2007 while competing for The Heritage School ... also helped the Hawks to a team state title that year ... was consistently ranked among the top 30 in the Southern Region and the top 125 nationally as a junior player.

Personal: Sarah Elizabeth Witkowski ... born Feb. 15, 1992 ... daughter of John and Beverly Witkowski ... has one brother ... majoring mass communication with an emphasis in public relations.

Returning Players

Sarah Witkowski5-foot-6 >> Redshirt SophomorePeachtree City, Ga. >> Univ. of Memphis

Witkowski’s Career RecordSingles Total Tournament Dual C-USA #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #62011-12 1-2 0-0 1-2 0-1 -- -- -- -- -- 1-2Totals 1-2 0-0 1-2 0-1 -- -- -- -- -- 1-2

Doubles Total Tournament Dual C-USA #1 #2 #32011-12 5-5 -- 5-5 1-2 -- -- 5-5Totals 5-5 -- 5-5 1-2 -- -- 5-5

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Pre-UABPlayed at Seminole High School in Seminole, Fla., where she competed in the No. 1 position on her team ... was the 2009 District Singles champion, as well as the 2012 District Doubles champion ... named the Beef O’Brady’s Athlete of the Week twice in her high school career ... earned her team’s MVP in 2009 and 2012 ... selected First-Team Tampa Bay Time Girls Tennis Team in 2009 and 2012.

PersonalAmy Diane Lowther ... born May 25, 1995 ... daughter of Michael and Marian Lowther ... majoring in biology.

Newcomers

Amy Lowther5-foot-5 >> FreshmanSeminole, Fla. >> Seminole HS

Pre-UABPlayed at St. Frederick High School in Monroe, La., where she was a four-time state champion at the Division 1 level ... claimed six regional championships throughout her career ... was tabbed a two-time MVP of her team.

PersonalElaine Marie Simon ... born Aug. 31, 1994 ... daughter of Llewellyn and Janet Simon ... has one brother ... majoring in biology.

Elaine Simon5-foot-1 >> FreshmanMonroe, La. >> Frederick HS

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NCAA SINGLES PARTICIPANTS1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (first round)1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zsofia Csapo (first round) Gulberk Gultekin (second round)1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mirela Vladulescu (quarterfinals)1999. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (first round)2001. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (third round)

NCAA DOUBLES PARTICIPANTS1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs/Mirela Vladulescu (second round)

ITA NATIONAL CLAY COURT SINGLES PARTICIPANTS1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (second round)1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs (first round)1997. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (champion) Paula Biggs (qualifying) Nastassja Sponagel (pre-qualifying)1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (finals) Monika Schmid (qualifying)

ITA NATIONAL CLAY COURT DOUBLES PARTICIPANTS1997. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu/Paula Biggs (second round)

RIVIERA WOMEN’S ALL-AMERICA SINGLES PARTICIPANTS1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paula Biggs (qualifying)1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paula Biggs (qualifying)1997. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (champion)1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mirela Vladulescu (second round)

ROLEX NATIONAL INDOORS SINGLES PARTICIPANTS1999. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (first round)

NATIONALLY-RANKED SINGLES PLAYERS(highest rank in parentheses)1992-93: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (#79)1993-94 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (#30) Paula Biggs (#100)1994-95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (#28) Zsofia Csapo (#80) Paula Biggs (#84)1995-96 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (#14) Zsofia Csapo (#37) Paula Biggs (#63)1996-97 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs (#47)1997-98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (#1) Paula Biggs (#44)1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (#3)1999-00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (T-#99)2000-01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (#13) Monika Schmid (#68)

NATIONALLY-RANKED DOUBLES TEAMS(highest rank in parentheses)1993-94 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs/Gulberk Gultekin (#29)1994-95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs/Gulberk Gultekin (#21)1995-96 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Zsofia Csapo/Gulberk Gultekin (#34)1997-98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs/Mirela Vladulescu (#7)2000-01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu/Monika Schmid (#11)2001-02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Femke de Boer/Monika Schmid (#56)

ITA ALL-AMERICANS1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu

Paula Biggs and Mirela Vladulescu

Individual Conference Champions

CONFERENCE USA SINGLES CHAMPIONS1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (#1) Zsofia Csapo (#2) Paula Biggs (#3)

CONFERENCE USA DOUBLES CHAMPIONS1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Zsofia Csapo/Gulberk Gultekin (#1) Paula Biggs/Mary Anne Martin (#2)

GREAT MIDWEST CONFERENCE SINGLES CHAMPIONS1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (#1) Ines Maennel (#2) Susie Hemphill (#5)1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (#1) Paula Biggs (#2) Andrea Koppl (#3) Suegnet Snyman (#4) Zenda Griebenow (#5) Andrea Adeimy (#6)1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (#1) Zsofia Csapo (#2) Paula Biggs (#3) Suegnet Snyman (#4) Andrea Koppl (#5)

GREAT MIDWEST CONFERENCE DOUBLES CHAMPIONS1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gulberk Gultekin/Andrea Adeimy (#1) Ines Maennel/Susie Hemphill (#2)1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs/Gulberk Gultekin (#1) Andrea Adeimy/Andrea Koppl (#2) Zenda Griebenow/Suegnet Snyman (#3)1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Zsofia Csapo/Gulberk Gultekin (#1) Paula Biggs/Andrea Koppl (#2)

SUN BELT CONFERENCE DOUBLES CHAMPIONS1984. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nora Breen/Jean Carder (#1)

History & Honors

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NCAA ALL-AMERICANS1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu

ITA NATIONAL ROOKIE PLAYER OF THE YEAR1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu

ITA NATIONAL ROOKIE PLAYER OF THE MONTHOctober 1997 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu

HONDA AWARD NOMINEE1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu

ITA SOUTH REGION CHAMPIONSHIPS SINGLES PARTICIPANTS1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs (first round) Andrea Koppl (first round) Andrea Adeimy (first round)1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin (third round) Paula Biggs (third round) Andrea Koppl (second round) Suegent Snyman (first round) Maria Breidling (first round)1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs (third round)1997. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs (semifinals)1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Monika Schmid (first round)

ITA SOUTH REGION CHAMPIONSHIPS DOUBLES PARTICIPANTS1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrea Adeimy/Andrea Koppl (first round)1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Biggs/Gulberk Gultekin (third round)1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paula Biggs/Mary Anne Martin (second round)1997. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mirela Vladulescu/Paula Biggs (first round)1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Anne Martin/Monika Schmid (first round)

ITA REGIONAL ROOKIE PLAYER OF THE YEAR1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu

CONFERENCE COACH OF THE YEAR1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mert Ertunga (Great Midwest Conference)1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mert Ertunga (Great Midwest Conference)1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mert Ertunga (Great Midwest Conference)1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mert Ertunga (Conference USA)2000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mert Ertunga (Conference USA)

CONFERENCE USA ALL-DECADE TEAM2005. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu

CONFERENCE USA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu2000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu

CONFERENCE USA PLAYER OF THE YEAR2001. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu

ALL-CONFERENCE USA SELECTIONS1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zsofia Csapo (first team) Gulberk Gultekin (first team) Paula Biggs (second team) Mary Anne Martin (honorable mention)1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (first team) Paula Biggs (first team)1999. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (first team) Monika Schmid (second team)2000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (first team) Monika Schmid (first team)2001. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (first team) Monika Schmid (second team) Margaux Melsheimer (third team)2007. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julia von Samson (second team) Gulsah Esen (third team)2008. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evelien Strijker (third team)2009. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evelien Strijker (third team)

CONFERENCE USA FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu1999. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Monika Schmid

CONFERENCE USA PLAYER OF THE MONTH2001. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (October)

CONFERENCE USA PLAYER OF THE WEEK1999. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (April 13)2000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mirela Vladulescu (March 15) Monika Schmid (April 11)2001. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirela Vladulescu (March 28, April 4) Margaux Melsheimer (March 14)2007. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julia von Samson (March 13)

GREAT MIDWEST CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE YEAR1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin

GREAT MIDWEST CONFERENCE NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gulberk Gultekin1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zsofia Csapo

Final ITA Collegiate Rankings

1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #491996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #391998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #711999: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-#752000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #732001. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #75

History & Honors

Evelien Strijker

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Academic Excellence

CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA(formerly known as ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America)2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape (second team)

CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT AT-LARGE(formerly known as ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District)2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape (first team)2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape (first team)

ITA ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM(cumulative team GPA of 3.2 or higher)2009. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Team Award2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Team Award2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Team Award

ITA SCHOLAR-ATHLETES2009. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ceylan Engin, Jenny Cape, Evelien Strijker2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape, Evelien Strijker, Menanteau Moolman2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paula Alvarez, Jenny Cape, Brittany DeFelice, Caroline Faught,

Menanteau Moolman, Giorgia Romeo, Evelien Strijker2012. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Caroline Faught, Menanteau Moolman,

Paula Alvarez Pino, Rachel Daniell

CONFERENCE USA ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM2009. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape

CONFERENCE USA SPORT ACADEMIC AWARD(highest team GPA among all C-USA women’s tennis programs)2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Team Award

NCAA PUBLIC RECOGNITION AWARD(top 10 percent of women’s tennis programs in multi-year APR scores)2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Team Award2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Team Award2012. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Team Award

CONFERENCE USA COMMISSIONER’S HONOR ROLL(3.0 GPA or higher)2006. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Annemieke Elsholz, Ornischa Maier-Knapp, Antonia Nugent, Samrin Tanzeem, Julia Von Samson2007. . . . . . . . . . . . . Magdalena Czernik, Annemieke Elsholz, Nischa Maier-Knapp, Antonia Nugent, Samrin Tanzeem, Julia von Samson2008. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jenny Cape, Antonia Nugent, Evelien Srijker, Samrin Tanzeem2009. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape, Ceylan Engin, Antonia Nugent, Giorgia Romeo, Evelien Strijker2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Alvarez, Richole Berger, Jenny Cape, Rachel Cohen, Krista Cole, Brittany DeFelice, Ceylan Engin, Giorgia Romeo, Evelien Strijker 2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paula Alvarez, Richole Berger, Jenny Cape, Rachel Cohen, Brittany DeFelice, Ceylan Engin, Caroline Faught, Menanteau Moolman, Giorgia Romeo, Evelien Strijker2012. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paula Alvarez, Richole Berger, Rachel Cohen, Rachel Daniell, Brittany DeFelice, Caroline Faught, Menanteau Moolman, Giorgia Romeo, Sarah Witkowski

CONFERENCE USA COMMISSIONER’S ACADEMIC MEDAL(3.75 GPA or higher)2008. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape, Samrin Tanzeem2009. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape, Evelien Strijker2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Cape, Menanteau Moolman2012. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rachel Daniell, Caroline Faught, Menanteau Moolman

History & Honors

Jenny CapeClass of 2011

2011 Academic All-America Second Team

Two-time Academic All-District First Team

Three-time C-USA All-Academic Team

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The UAB women’s tennis program has a long tradition of success. From 1993 through 2007, the Blazers reached double-digit win totals each year, including 21 victories in the 2001 season. The 2001 team was one of six teams in program his-tory and the most recent to finish the season in the ITA rankings. The 2001 Blazers finished the year ranked 75th, marking the fourth straight year UAB had finished in the rankings. No Blazer team has ever finished a year ranked as high as the 1996 Conference USA Championship squad. The ’96 team, which posted an 18-3 overall record, won the league title and ended the year at No. 39 in the ITA rankings. The 1996 cam-paign also marked the fourth straight season with a conference championship for UAB. The Blazers won Great Midwest Conference titles in 1993, 1994 and 1995. UAB has sent individuals to the NCAA Tournament seven times, including three trips by Mirela Vladulescu, a former All-American. Vladulescu advanced to the quarterfinals in her first NCAA appearance in 1998.

Tennis Tradition

All-Time Dual Match Singles Wins Leaders Records incomplete prior to 1992.

Player Wins Overall Record1. Mirela Vladulescu (1998-2001) 72 72-7 Paula Biggs (1994-98) 72 72-123. Monika Schmid (2000-02) 69 69-164. Gulberk Gultekin (1993-96) 63 63-65. Samrin Tanzeem (2004-07) 48 48-226. Suegnet Snyman (1994-97) 46 46-377. Ornischa Maier-Knapp (2003-07) 44 44-188. Julia von Samson (2004-07) 41 41-269. Natascha Immele (2000-03) 40 40-28 Mary Anne Martin (1996-98) 40 40-4611. Jenny Cape (2008-2011) 39 39-2612. Evelien Strijker (2008-11) 37 37-2713. Femke de Boer (2001-04) 36 36-4414. Zsofia Csapo (1995-96) 35 35-7 Annemielle Elsholz (2004-07) 35 35-3416. Andrea Koppl (1994-97) 33 33-4117. Paula Alvarez (2009-12) 32 32-4118. Antonia Nugent (2005-08) 31 31-1519. Gulsah Esen (2005-08) 28 28-3620. Nadia Dellarciprete (2001-04) 27 27-28 Giorgia Romeo (2008-11) 27 27-37

Gulberk Gultekin

Year-By-Year Records

Records incomplete prior to 1992.

Year Overall Conference

1992 1-19 1-2 (Great Midwest)1993 14-5 5-0 (Great Midwest)1994 16-5 6-0 (Great Midwest)1995 13-11 1996 18-3 3-0 (Conference USA)1997 10-14 3-3 (Conference USA)1998 14-8 4-0 (Conference USA)1999 12-10 2000 12-8 5-3 (Conference USA)2001 21-3 8-1 (Conference USA)2002 11-11 4-1 (Conference USA)2003 10-8 3-2 (Conference USA)2004 12-15 4-5 (Conference USA)2005 14-7 3-2 (Conference USA)2006 12-6 2-1 (Conference USA)2007 14-2 2-0 (Conference USA)2008 9-6 3-2 (Conference USA)2009 6-9 1-2 (Conference USA)2010 10-11 2-4 (Conference USA)2011 7-13 0-4 (Conference USA)2012 6-12 1-2 (Conference USA)

Team Conference Championships

1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Great Midwest Conference Champion1994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Great Midwest Conference Champion1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Great Midwest Conference Champion1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conference USA Champion

History & Honors

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All-American

Gulberk Gultekin was the first UAB women’s tennis player to advance to the NCAA Championship, when she participated in the 1994 champion-ship. Gultekin fell to Joelle Schad of Arizona State, 6-3, 6-2, in the open-ing round. Gultekin advanced to the second round of the championships in 1996, falling to the eventual champi-on Jill Craybas of Florida. Gultekin, a native of Trabzon, Turkey, was a four-year letterwinner at UAB.

Gulberk Gultekin1994 & 1996

Zsofia Csapo was a participant in the 1996 NCAA Championships in only her freshman season at UAB. A native of Budapest, Hungary, Csapo fell in the first round to Kylie Hunt of Kan-sas, 5-7, 6-1, 6-0.

Zsofia Csapo1996

Paula Biggs partnered with Mirela Vl-adulescu to play in the 1998 NCAA Championships, where the duo ad-vanced to the second round. Biggs, a native of Port Elizabeth, South Af-rica, was a four-year letterwinner for the Blazers.

Paula Biggs1998

Mirela Vladulescu participated in three NCAA Championships. In 1998, she became the first player in UAB history to reach the quarterfi-nals in singles. Vladulescu won three matches against ranked opponents before falling to No. 7 Julie Scott of Stanford. She also advanced to the round of 16 with partner Paula Biggs. Vladulescu also participated in the 1999 NCAA Singles Champion-ships, falling in the first round. In 2001, she advanced to the round of 16, but fell to second-seeded Ansley Cargill of Duke in a tough three-set loss.

Mirela Vladulescu1998, 1999 & 2001

Mirela Vladulescu became the first UAB women’s player to earn NCAA All-America honors. Vlad-ulescu earned All-America honors by virtue of reaching the round of 16 at the 1998 NCAA Championships. In 1998, Vladulescu was the ITA National Rookie Player of the Year, the ITA National Player of the month (October 1997), the ITA Regional Rookie Player of the Year, the Con-ference USA Most Valuable Player, the Conference USA Freshman of the Year and was named First-Team All-Conference USA. She advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament and was ranked No. 1 in the ITA rankings for the majority of the 1997-98 season, making her the only singles player in the history of the UAB tennis program to achieve both feats. Vladulescu advanced to the round of 16 with doubles partner Paula Biggs at the NCAA Champion-ships. In the fall of 1997, Vladulescu won the the ITA Clay Court National Championships and the Riviera Women’s All-American Championships, making her the first women’s tennis player to win the first two legs of the Collegiate Grand Slam. She went 40-3 in singles play and 17-4 in doubles play during the 1997-98 season.

Mirela Vladulescu1998

In 1998, sophomore Mirela Vladulescu (center) was named ITA National Rookie of the Year as well as Re-gional Rookie of the Year.

NCAA Tournament Participants

History & Honors

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Women’s Tennis2012-13

After marking its 15-year mile-stone during the

2009-10 season, Con-ference USA is still go-ing strong. From the beginning, dedication to excellence has been the league’s guiding principle and remains today a common thread for a promising future. C-USA is home to 12 nationally prominent, tradition-rich members in East Carolina, Houston, Marshall, Memphis, Rice, SMU, Southern Miss, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, UCF and UTEP. This combination enhances men’s and wom-en’s programs that are immersed in athletic success and academic prowess. Together, we are committed to excellence, integrity and leadership in athletics, academics and in our communities. All C-USA institutions sponsor Division I-A football, along with several other men’s and women’s athletic programs, many of which compete regularly for NCAA Championships. C-USA sponsors com-petition in 20 sports - nine for men (baseball, bas-ketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis and indoor and outdoor track and field) and 11 for women (basketball, cross country, golf, rowing, soft-ball, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field and volleyball). The league sponsors numerous academic awards, including the Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the Commissioner’s Academic Medal, indicative of out-standing achievement in the classroom. C-USA annually awards 12 postgraduate scholar-ships, along with the Sport Academic Award, Scholar Athletes of the Year and the Institutional Academic Excellence Award. Conference USA also added a Spirit of Service Award, recognizing student-athletes three times a year for a combination of significant community service efforts, good academic standing and participation in their elected sport.

SUCCESS ON THE PLAYING FIELD Conference USA performers have achieved great success in competition, placing the league among the top conferences in the nation.

Football• 62 teams have earned bowl bids • Member of the Bowl Championship Series• Bowl tie-ins with the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl, Bell Helicop-ter Armed Forces Bowl, Military Bowl, R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl and the TicketCity Bowl

Men’s Basketball• Consistently rated as one of the top basketball leagues in the country• 97 postseason teams (47 NCAA, 39 NIT, 6 CBI, 5 CIT)• One National Championship game appearance

• Three Final Four teams• Seven Elite Eight NCAA Tournament teams• One NIT Champion and four NIT semifinalists• Inaugural CBI Champion

Women’s Basketball• 46 NCAA Tournament appearances• 36 WNIT appearances• One team in the NCAA Sweet 16• Two WNIT semifinalists• One WBI Champion

Baseball• 53 NCAA appearances• Six College World Series appearances (2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2001), including five of the last seven• 13 Super Regional appearances• Has produced at least four NCAA teams in eight of the last 10 seasons

In addition, 35 volleyball teams, 55 men’s and women’s soccer teams and 30 softball teams have earned NCAA Tournament bids. C-USA has sent three men’s soccer teams to the NCAA College Cup, five softball teams to the Women’s College World Se-ries and three volleyball teams to the Sweet 16. The league has also had six national champions in NCAA track and field competition, one national champion in diving and numerous NCAA individual and team competitors in cross country, golf, swimming, tennis and track and field. Overall, Conference USA teams and individuals have made more than 600 NCAA ap-pearances.

SUCCESS OFF THE FIELD C-USA institutions are among the nation’s best in academic performance among student-athletes, bolstered by the fact that student-athletes at league schools have a higher graduation rate than the general student population. Among C-USA’s 5,000 student-athletes, there are champions off the playing field as well. In 15 years, 153 student-athletes earned national ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors, while 541 were named All-District. In addition, more than 20,000 student-athletes have been named to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll or received the Commis-sioner’s Academic Medal, indicative of outstanding achievement in the classroom.

C-USA ON TV C-USA enjoys significant television exposure through a multi-tiered selection process that is rooted in partnerships with FOX Sports Media Group and CBS Sports Network. By partnering with FOX Sports Media Group and extending an existing part-nership with CBS Sports Network, the league has substantially increased the number of national and regional appearances for football, men’s and women’s basketball, and all other conference sports.

C-USA DIGITAL NETWORK The C-USA Digital Network will officially launch in August of 2011. Network programming will in-clude live streaming of non-televised events, video on

demand, a weekly C-USA studio show, podcasting, regular season and championship event highlights and C-USA produced feature stories. Monthly and yearly subscriptions will offer access to events offered on all 12 of the C-USA member institution’s athletic websites as well as C-USA network programming.

C-USA IN THE COMMUNITY The conference’s footprint is concentrated with 12 members in nine states and a combined area pop-ulation of nearly 17 million. More than 1.1 million living alumni represent C-USA schools across the na-tion. With a renewed commitment to community involvement, the conference has begun development of several initiatives to maintain strong ties in C-USA cities, as well as with fans and alumni across the coun-try. C-USA schools also place a priority on giving back to their communities through volunteer service with local and national organizations.

GOVERNANCE Along with the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC, Conference USA is one of the seven con-ferences having significant representation in the NCAA governance structure. The Presidents of the member institutions serve as the league’s Board of Directors.

A PROUD HISTORY; A PROMISING FUTURE Conference USA was formed in 1995 and quickly emerged as one of the nation’s top conferences. The con-ference unveiled its name, logo and commissioner on April 24, 1995 in Chicago. The league’s charter mem-bers included Charlotte, Cincinnati, DePaul, Houston, Louisville, Marquette, Memphis, Saint Louis, Southern Miss, Tulane, UAB and USF. Eleven of the institutions began athletic participation in 1995, while Houston joined competition in the fall of 1996. The league’s headquarters were established in Chi-cago and after nine years, relocated to the current office in Irving, Texas. Britton Banowsky was named Com-missioner in October 2002, succeeding Mike Slive, the league’s first commissioner. C-USA added East Carolina (September, 1996) and the United States Military Academy (March, 1997) as football members. ECU began league competition in 1997; Army in 1998 and UAB began football play in 1999. The league added TCU and ECU (1999) for all sports and they began competition in 2001. USF started C-USA football in 2003. After celebrating its 10th Anniversary during the 2004-05 season, C-USA began a new chapter in 2005-06 when its current membership came together to form the new look of the league. Since its formation, C-USA has established a strong foundation, an identity and a history that reflects the league’s national presence. Fifteen years of remarkable history has reinforced the league’s position in collegiate athletics, setting the course for the next decade and be-yond.

Britton BanowskyC-USA Commissioner

Conference USA

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UAB Administration

BRIAN MACKIN, ATHLETICS DIRECTOR

Brian Mackin was named UAB’s Director of Athletics on February 14, 2007. He moved into the position after spending five years as senior associate athletic director for external affairs for the Blazers. A former UAB baseball letterman, Mackin has a deep-rooted passion for the University and its athletics program. With an eye on the future, his commit-ment to continue to grow the program has been clear in the time since he became athletics director. He has made success in the classroom and im-proving athletic facilities two of his top priorities. Mackin was able to secure the first-ever naming rights for the athletics program with the generous gift from Don and Marsha Hire for the Hoke Hire Student-Athlete Academic Center. With the opening of the Academic Center, an abundance of new com-puter equipment has been added. Mackin has also strengthened the academic area by creating additional staff positions. Under Mackin’s watch, the Academic Reform Group (ARG) was initiated. This group is made up of athletics staff members and academic support staff. With its mission to create an environment of academ-ic excellence in the department, the group addresses every aspect of a student-athlete’s experience while at UAB. Mackin has also demonstrated his commitment to academic success by initiating a penalty structure for student-athletes and making them accountable if they miss classes or tutorial sessions. Mackin’s commitment to academics has shown positive results. For the 2009-10 academic year, UAB student-athletes accounted for nearly 25 percent of

Conference USA Scholar-Athletes of the Year, awards that are handed out annually to the top student-athlete in each sport that the league sponsors. Since Mackin became athletics director, he has made facility improve-ments another objective of emphasis. A new 10,000-square foot weight room has opened for Blazer teams, as well as a new, spacious, state-of the-art athletic training facility which opened

in the fall of 2008. With the renovation of the Ull-man Building, the Blazers’ Olympic sports coaches have been able to relocate into brand new offices. Other facilities improvements have included the resurfacing of the track for the Blazers’ track and field team. In spring 2010, the first phase of the new, on-campus UAB softball facility was completed. The improvements haven’t gone unnoticed as UAB has been named as host site for the 2012 Conference USA Softball Championship. The baseball and softball programs also enjoy the hitting and pitching facility additions that were com-pleted in spring 2010. New state-of-the-art video boards are now in place in Bartow Arena, Young Memorial Field and the new softball facility. The upgrades and progress of the program under Mackin have not been limited to facilities and aca-demics. In the last three years, the athletics program entered an agreement with Nike that provides apparel and equipment for all of UAB’s athletics teams. Mackin came on board at UAB in the spring of 2002 as senior associate AD for external affairs. In that role, he was responsible for fund-raising, corpo-rate support and marketing for the athletic depart-ment.

In 2006, Mackin was named Division I-A Fund-raiser of the Year by the National Association of Ath-letic Development Directors. Under Mackin’s leader-ship, contributions to UAB athletics nearly tripled from $1.3 million in 2001 to about $3.7 million in 2006. Additionally, he has been responsible for the creation of several affinity groups including the Ath-letic Investors Group, the Champion Club, and the Blazer Club, which brought together the two annual funds supporting football and men’s basketball. Prior to joining UAB, Mackin served as Man-ager of Corporate Business Development at Vulcan Materials, where he was responsible for examining potential new markets for business development and locating growth opportunities in the industry. Mackin earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from UAB in 1983. He was a member of the Blazer baseball team four seasons and then moved into the Houston Astros baseball organization for one season. Mackin then joined Vulcan Materials, where he held management positions in sales and market analy-sis. In 1990, he joined Southern Ready Mix as sales manager before joining Dunn Construction in 1993 where he rose to vice president in 1999. His respon-sibilities included business development, sales and project management. Mackin’s community activities include the Bir-mingham Tip-Off Club, which hosts the State High School Final Four, the Monday Morning Quarter-back Club and the Birmingham Rotary Club. He has served as the president of the Birmingham Tip-Off Club. Mackin and his wife, Sally, have five children: Ragland (23), Brian Jr. (21), Ferrell (18), Mary Aileen (17), and Ella (14).

Dr. Richard Mar-chase was named

interim president of UAB in August 2012. An accomplished scholar, researcher and administrator, Dr. Mar-chase joined the UAB faculty in 1986 and has

risen steadily through the ranks, assuming the position of vice president for research and eco-nomic development in 2005.

In that capacity, Dr. Marchase has played a key role in expanding UAB’s efforts in research, technology transfer and economic development.

He chairs the board of the Innovation Depot, the business incubator affiliated with UAB; oversees the UAB Research Foundation; and coordi-nates UAB’s efforts with the Alabama Develop-ment Office, Economic Development Partner-ship of Alabama, Birmingham Business Alliance and others. He also is charged with facilitating strong relationships and collaborative efforts with research groups and other universities within the state.

Dr. Marchase is past president of the Associa-tion of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Neurobiol-ogy Chairs. He has been both president and vice president for Science Policy for the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

(FASEB), which represents more than 100,000 scientists and is recognized as the principal voice of the biomedical research community on issues related to research funding and policy.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in engineer-ing physics from Cornell University and his doctorate in biophysics from Johns Hopkins Uni-versity, Dr. Marchase began his academic career at Duke University. He was an initial recipient of the Presidential Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Marchase is married to Gail Andrews, R. Hugh Daniel Director of the Birmingham Muse-um of Art.

Dr. Richard Marchase, Interim President

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DR. FRANK MESSINA, FACULTY ATHLETICS REP

Dr. Frank M. Messina, professor and chair of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Accounting and Infor-mation Systems (ACIS) in the UAB School of

Business, was named faculty athletics representative in 2008. He has been on staff at the university for 16 years. Messina is a former chair of ACIS and is the school’s Ernst & Young Scholar. A Birmingham na-tive, he came to UAB in 1993 as an assistant professor in accounting. He received a doctorate in business adminis-

tration (D.B.A.) from Mississippi State University (MSU) in 1993, a master’s in professional accoun-tancy at MSU in 1990 and a bachelor’s in business administration at the University of West Alabama in 1986. Messina and his wife, Natalie, have two sons: Taylor (18) and TJ (8). A third son, Thomas, passed away in the spring of 2010 at the age of 15.

ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT SENIOR STAFF

Shannon EalySenior Associate AD for External Affairs

Norm ReillyAssociate AD for Media Relations

Brad SmithAssistant AD for

Marketing

Danez MarrableAssociate AD for Student Services

Derita RatcliffeSenior Associate AD/

Senior Woman Administrator

Coleman BarnesAssociate AD for

Development

Corey BrayAssociate AD for

Compliance

Matt WildtAssociate AD for

Ticket Operations and Football Administration

Mike JonesAssistant AD forAthletic Training

Reid AdairAssistant AD for

Facilities and Operations

Timothy GarnerAssociate AD for Financial Affairs

UAB Administration

Brad HardekopfAssistant AD

for Development

Page 21: 2012-13 Women's Tennis Fact Book

W ith a population of more than 230,000 (more than one million in the metro-

politan area), Birmingham has a strong, diverse, service-oriented economy and is recognized as a Southeast leader.

Founded shortly after the Civil War, Bir-mingham rapidly became known as “The Magic City” because of its phenomenal rate of industrial growth in its beginning. Its mountainous strata and forest sur-rounding the city are rich with ore

deposits, and it was that natural wealth that quickly transformed young Birmingham into a bustling steel metropolis.

Today, Birmingham continues to earn the distinction, “The Magic City,” but this tribute is due to the city’s economic competitiveness, technological advancements and quality of life — offerings which are sought after by professionals with an eye toward the future.

Birmingham has been recognized as one of America’s “Most Livable Cities” by the U.S. Conference of Mayors — as recently as 1993. Birmingham’s strategic location and diverse economy position the city as one of tremendous opportunity and growth.

Centrally located and the largest munici-pality in Ala bama, the city is home to a num-ber of renowned individuals who have made an impression on the nation and the world in music and entertainment, education, medi-cine and sports, to name a few.

There is never a lack of cultural entertain-ment in “The Magic City”. Dozens of neigh-borhood and city-wide festivals, museums, parks, sports competitions and much more provide unlimited activity and amusement.

Residents and visitors to Birmingham enjoy the city’s recreational and historical attractions such as the Birmingham Zoo, Bir-mingham Botanical Gardens, Vulcan Park, Sloss Furnaces, Southern Museum of Flight and the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Sports enthusiasts will never be at a loss for activity at the heart of the “Football Capital of the South.” UAB plays all of its home football games at historic Legion Field, which also was the site of preliminary round soccer matches at the 1996 Summer Olym-pic Games. Professional athletic teams in the area include the Class-AA Birmingham Barons (baseball).

Several annual fests are held in Birming-ham. The biggest is City Stages, held each spring in the downtown City Center. City Stag-es attracts nearly a quarter of a million people for a three-day weekend of unlimited music.

All of this and more makes Birmingham “The Magic City” to residents and visitors year-round.

The statue of Vulcan — Roman God of Fire and Iron — is the symbol of the city of Birmingham.

The Birmingham Civil Rights Museum stands as a reminder of the past and a beacon of hope

for the future.

BirminghamThe Magic City

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2004 Blazer Football

UAB At A GlAnce

UAB enriches Birmingham’s cultural landscape through a diversity of peo-ple and activities such as athletics, per-forming arts, theatre, social service, and much more.

Bharat Soni, one of America’s top computing experts and a UAB engineering professor, has created a high-performance virtual reality lab on campus.

www.uab.edu

A University Forging the Future

UAB is a young, dynamic university that has, over four decades, won international renown for its leading-edge research, medical care and academic programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Home to more than 17,500 students and 2,000 faculty members, UAB impacts every facet of the Birmingham community, improving the lives of residents through innovative health care, education, and active service and engagement. On a campus encompassing 86 city blocks, breakthroughs are made daily in the arts and sciences, business, dentistry, education, engineering, health professions, medicine, nursing, optometry and public health.

In more than 80 interdisciplinary research centers all over campus, faculty and students are pushing the envelope in science and medicine, developing new treatments and cures for conditions ranging from cancer to Alzheimer’s to heart disease. UAB’s physician-researchers, and the facilities in which they work, are recognized as among the best in the nation.

UAB’s impact on its community and state is tremendous, and is seen not only in improved education and health care, but in a stronger economy. As Alabama’s largest sin-gle employer, UAB has some 18,000 employees and is responsible for more than 61,000 jobs statewide (that’s one of every 33 jobs), and has an annual economic impact of $4.6 billion. One of every 25 dollars in the state’s budget is generated by UAB.

• UAB has seen record overall enrollment for three consecutive years. In fall 2011, UAB welcomed 17,575 students and its largest freshman class ever (over 1,600), with two-thirds of those freshmen living on campus.

• Forbes lists UAB among the top 20% of all U.S. undergraduate institutions and The Princeton Review has ranked the university in the top 10 nationally for student diversity for three consecutive years (currently 5th).

• An exciting nexus of the sciences, business and education, and the arts and humanities, UAB is forging the ideas and technologies of tomorrow with intensely collaborative research and scholarship. It’s where creativity and inno-vation are campus traditions—and where successful futures begin.

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A Leading-Edge Research Enterprise

Top-Quality Health Care• UAB Hospital is the largest in the state and among the largest and most complex in the nation (1,146 beds), and the only Alabama hospital listed for 22 straight years in the U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” issue, which lists only 3 percent of hospitals nationwide. In the current issue, UAB has six medical specialties in the top 25.

• UAB is the largest academic medical center in Alabama and one of the top four largest academic medical centers in the United States, treating 1,187,230 patients last year.

• UAB provides vital resources and services that are offered nowhere else in Alabama, such as an adult level 1 trauma center, a burn center, and a level III (highest level) regional neonatal intensive care unit.

• UAB’s Comprehensive Cancer Center was one of the nation’s first such centers designated by the National Cancer Institute and remains the only one in Alabama and a six-state region.

• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has designated UAB as one of only six Diabetes Research and training centers in the country, putting the university at the forefront in development of new methods to treat, prevent and, ultimately, cure diabetes.

• The UAB School of Health Professions provides advanced opportunities and is one of the largest schools of its type in the nation, with 21 innovative programs at the baccalaureate, masters and doctoral degree levels within six departments: Critical Care, Diagnostic and Therapeautic Sciences; Health Services Administration; Nutrition Sciences; Occupational Therapy; and Physical Therapy. U.S. News & World Report ranks several SHP programs among the nation’s top 25.

• UAB Kirklin Clinic is a state-of-the-art, full-service clinic that furnishes a full range of adult outpatient care. Housing more than 25 specialties and more than 700 specialists under one roof, UAB Kirklin Clinic conveniently provides in-house diagnostic testing, surgery services, a pharmacy and educational seminars.

• Several graduate programs at UAB have been recognized for excellence nationally. In the most recent ranking by U.S. News & World Report of graduate programs, the School of Nursing ranks 26th overall, with the School of Medicine being 27th and the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics 58th. Individual programs also have been cited, with the AIDS program within the School of Medicine ranked 5th and the School of Health Profession’s health administration program ranked 7th.

• UAB is ranked 31st nationally for federal research and development funding, attracting over $460 million in 2010, and is 21st in funding from the national Institutes of Health (nIH).

• UAB is among a handful of universities classified by the Carnegie Foundation for both “high research activity” and “community engagement,” which suggests how effectively the university harnesses that research to benefit the community—in terms of the economy, education, better health, and quality of life.

• Recent breakthroughs include a novel bio-coating for cardiac stents that significantly reduces the need for follow-up surgery; using remote satellite imaging to discover ancient ruins in egypt, featured in a recent BBC documentary; a new collaboration with HudsonAlpha (Huntsville) investigating the genetic roots of Parkinson’s disease; the opening the Materials Processing and Application Development (MPAD) facility, the largest academic research facility of its kind in the nation, offering the rare capability of developing both metals and composites under one roof.

• Innovation Depot, in which UAB is a founding partner, was recently named the top High-tech Business Incubator in the nation by the national Business Incubation Association. As the largest incubator in the Southeast, the Depot was responsible for 75 tenant companies and $274 million in sales impact in 2010 (and $1.4 billion in sales impact over the past five years).

• Physician-researchers are at the top of their fields, serving as editors-in-chief of 25 peer-reviewed scientific and medical journals, and in high-level national posts—UAB faculty are currently serving as President of the American Cancer Society and President-elect of the American Heart Association, and an alumna, Dr. Regina Benjamin, is U.S. Surgeon General.

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Athletic Achievements

Challenging, Distinctive Academic Programs

www.uabsports.com

• UAB is one of only two academic institutions available nationwide receiving requests for Crew Robotics and Vehicle Equipment (CRAVE) for NASA’s International Space Station, space shuttles, and beyond. Lee Moradi, CRAVE program manager in the Center for Biophysical Science and Engineering, says UAB will design, test, and manufacture high-precision research instruments and thermal carriers, he also foresees additional work to develop extravehicular activity and robotics equipment, crew health and conditioning systems, and environmen-tal control and life-support technology.

• The men’s soccer team advanced to the NCAA Championships for the fifth time overall in 2006. The team won the 1999 C-USA Championship and advanced to the ncAA Final 8.

• The UAB women’s soccer team has won the C-USA Tournament title twice (2004 and 2006), earning ncAA trips both years. In 2003, the UAB women captured the C-USA regular season title.

• The Blazers field 18 intercollegiate teams as a Division I member of the NCAA and a founding member of Conference USA.

• Vonetta Flowers, a former UAB track & field All-American, made history in February of 2002 when she won a Gold Medal at the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Flowers became the first Winter Olympics Gold Medalist ever from Alabama when she teamed with Jill Bakken to cap-ture the two-woman bobsled competition.

• Former UAB men’s golfer Graeme McDowell (right) won the U.S. Open in 2010. At UAB, he was the nation’s no. 1-ranked collegiate golfer in 2002.

• In 33 seasons of competition, the Blazer men’s basketball team has enjoyed 29 winning seasons, has made 25 trips to postseason tournaments (14 ncAA, 11 NIT), and has won eight conference championships. With the 2011 NCAA berth, the Blazers have reached postseason play in eight of the past nine years (4 NCAA, 4 NIT). UAB advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2004, knocking off tournament No. 1 seed Kentucky in the second round.

• The UAB softball team made its first NCAA tournament appearance in 2010 and made a return trip in 2011. The Blazers defeated Florida State in the first round of the 2011 Athens Regional for their first ever NCAA tourney win.

• The Blazer volleyball team has made two NCAA tournament appearances in the past five years (2006 and 2008). The program earned its first NCAA tourna-ment victory in 2008 with a first-round win over Missouri State.

• Blazer football earned its first postseason bowl appearance with a berth in the 2004 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. The Blazers have finished as Conference USA run-ner-up three times since they became a football-playing member of the league.

• UAB offers one-of-a-kind programs, such as the only undergraduate biomedical engineering degree, the only industrial distribution degree in the Southeast, and one of only four forensic accounting and IT concentrations in the nation.

• UAB also offers unrivaled research and scholarship opportunities for students at all levels, ranking 1st among all public universities in fed-eral research funding per incoming freshman. Of the 138 undergradu-ates enrolled in the Science and Technology Honors Program (part of the acclaimed UAB Honors Academy) in 2010-11, 35 were published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

• In the U.S. News & World Report rankings of graduate programs, UAB has 13 programs in the top 25 and five in the top 10: Master’s in health administration, 5th; School of Medicine’s AIDS program, 6th; Medicine’s primary care, 10th; nurse practitioner (adult), 10th; nurs-ing service administration, 10th.

• The Scientist ranked UAB 22nd nationally (and 6th among public universities) in its “Best Places to Work as a Postdoctoral Fellow” issue.

• UAB’s Alys Stephens Center is celebrating its 15th anniversary as Birmingham’s “home for the performing arts,” housing a 1,330-seat concert hall, intimate recital hall and state-of-the-art theatres. With 24 Steinway pianos in its music department, UAB is Alabama’s first “All-Steinway School” and one of only 125 in the world.

• The School of Nursing is designated as a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for International Nursing, one of only 10 such centers in the U.S. and 45 in the world.

• Just in the past three years, UAB students earned 8 Goldwater Scholarships, 7 Fulbright scholarships, 3 Phi Kappa Phi Fellowships and an NIH-Oxford-Cambridge Scholarship (one of only 15 in the nation).

Page 25: 2012-13 Women's Tennis Fact Book

Summer, 1977: Coach Gene Bartow is hired as UAB’s first intercollegiate Athlet-ics Director and head basketball coach. Preparations begin for the hiring of coaches and support staff, recruitment of student-athletes, establishment of the Golden 100 scholarship foundation, scheduling, etc.

Fall, 1978: UAB athletic teams begin intercollegiate competition for the first time; the university begins an 11-year association with the Sun Belt Conference.

Nov. 24, 1978: The UAB men’s basketball team plays its first game, a 66-54 loss to Nebraska before a crowd of 14,800 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center; UAB has gone on to win 20 or more games 15 times, appear in 11 NCAA Tournaments and eight NITs.

March, 1981: The Blazer men’s basketball team defeats Kentucky in the NCAA Mid-east Regional, and reaches the NCAA “Sweet 16.” This appearance marks the beginning of a streak of seven consecutive NCAA Tournaments for UAB (1981-87).

March, 1982: UAB adds to its amazing basketball success story, defeating Indiana and Virginia in the Southeast Regional, and reaching the NCAA “Elite Eight.” The Southeast Regional in Birmingham is the first of five NCAA Tournament events to be hosted by UAB (’82, ’84, ’85, ’87, ’88).

March, 1989: Blazer basketball reaches the NIT Final Four, defeating Michigan State for third place at Madison Square Garden.

Fall, 1989: The UAB club football team is orga-nized; the team goes 0-6 in its first season.

1990-91: The Blazer baseball team wins its first Sun Belt Conference Championship and becomes the first UAB team other than men’s basketball to participate in the NCAA Tournament. Men’s tennis wins the first of five consecutive conference championships in the Sun Belt and Great Midwest Conferences. Volleyball wins the first of three consecutive championships in the Sun Belt and Great Midwest conferences and makes its first of four consecutive post-season appearances.

1991-92: UAB begins competition in the Great Midwest Conference. The UAB football team begins its first season of varsity play at the Division III level. Blazer volleyball and baseball win the first Great Midwest Cham-pionship. UAB places its first men’s tennis players, Frank Schaffner and Karl Steffen, in NCAA Tournament play.

1992-93: Men’s basketball reaches the NIT Final Four, defeating Alabama, Clemson, Southwest Missouri State and Providence. The nationally-ranked UAB men’s tennis team participates in the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Blazer volleyball, cross country and tennis teams all win Great Midwest Conference championships.

January, 1993: UAB announces that its football program will compete at the NCAA I-AA level, beginning with the 1993 season.

1993-94: Blazer teams win six league championships, and UAB wins the Great Midwest Conference Commis-sioner’s Cup, awarded to the university with the most successful overall athletics program. The Blazer basketball team goes 14-0 vs. GMW opponents and makes its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Men’s basketball is nationally-ranked and participates in the NCAA Tournament.

August, 1994: UAB announces that its football program will compete at the NCAA I-A level and that the school will field a women’s soccer team beginning with the 1996 season.

1994-95: UAB soccer wins the Great Midwest Conference championship and participates in the NCAA Tournament. UAB wins GMW championship in men’s and women’s tennis, women’s indoor track & field, women’s outdoor track & field and men’s golf.

April 24, 1995: UAB becomes a charter member of Conference USA.March 26, 1996: One era ends and another begins as coach Gene Bartow steps

down as head men’s basketball coach. November 14, 1996: Conference USA announces that UAB has been admitted as

a football-playing member; the Blazers will begin C-USA play in 1999.1997-98: UAB freshman Mirela Vladulescu takes the women’s collegiate tennis world

by storm, winning both the ITA Clay Court National Championship and Riviera Women’s

Proud Past Bright Future

Page 26: 2012-13 Women's Tennis Fact Book

All-America Championship; she is the first UAB tennis player to win a collegiate grand slam event. Vladulescu will later be the top-ranked player in the NCAA rankings for much of the 1997-98 season. The men’s golf team receives a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

1998-99: The men’s basketball team makes its 10th appearance in the NCAA Tour-nament. Mirela Vladulescu returns to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year, despite an injury-plagued season.

1999-00: UAB athletics has arguably its best season to date. The UAB football team becomes an official member of Conference USA and goes 4-2 in conference play during its inaugural season. The UAB men’s soccer team wins the Conference USA Championship and reaches the NCAA “Elite Eight”. Synchronized swimming finishes fourth in the country

at the U.S. Collegiate Championships in its inaugural season. Women’s basketball reaches the “Sweet 16,” the men’s tennis team makes its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance and men’s golf makes its second NCAA Tournament appearance in three years.

July 10, 2000: Gene Bartow announces his retirement as athletics director after 23 years of service to the university.

August 22, 2000: Herman Frazier is named UAB’s second athletics director.

Sept. 23, 2000: In what was arguably the greatest win in UAB football history, the Blazers go to Baton Rouge, La. and upset SEC foe LSU, 13-10, on a game-winning field goal by

Rhett Gallego in the waining seconds.2000-01: Led by sophomore All-American Graeme McDowell, the

men’s golf team finished ninth in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to its first NCAA Championship at Duke University, where it garnered a tie for 12th place. Senior women’s tennis player Mirela Vladulescu finished off a four-year career as one of the most successful athletes in UAB history. The men’s soccer team made it to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. The football team finished 7-4 overall, becoming the first “bowl-eligi-ble” Blazer squad since UAB moved to the NCAA I-A level in 1996. The women’s basketball team, led by junior All-American Deanna Jackson, finished the season 20-11 and advanced to the WNIT. In just its second season, the synchronized swimming team placed fourth at the U.S. Collegiate Championships and eighth at the U.S. Nationals.

2001-02: Led by All-American Graeme McDowell, who was the No. 1-ranked golfer in the nation, the UAB men made their third consecutive appearance (fourth overall) in the NCAA Tournament. The Blazer football squad again boasted another “bowl eligible” sea-son, as the team went 6-5 in 2001. The men’s soccer team made its third consecutive trip (fourth overall) to the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the “Sweet 16.” The UAB softball team had its best season to date, advancing to the C-USA Championship game and boast-ing a 39-22 overall record. Denise Peters and Lisa Nowoslawski of the women’s soccer team were both named Verizon Academic All-Americans. In addition, Peters was named the C-USA Women’s Soccer Scholar Athlete of the Year. Synchronized swimming earned its highest finish to date at the U.S. Collegiate Championships, taking third. Four swimmers received Academic All-America honors and three swimmers were named All-Americans by the U.S. Synchronized Swimming Coaches Committee.

April 4, 2002: Athletics Director Herman Frazier and UAB President Ann Reynolds announce the hiring of Mike Anderson as UAB’s third men’s basketball coach.

November 21, 2002: Watson Brown is named UAB‘s third athletics director.2002-03: In his first season at the helm of the men’s basketball program, Mike Anderson

guided the Blazers to a 21-win season and a quarterfinal finish in the NIT. Lisa Nowoslawski capped off her career for the women’s soccer program by earning several prestigious aca-demic awards, including an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, the C-USA Postseason Scholar-ship Award and first-team Verizon / CoSIDA Academic All-America honors for the second straight year. The synchronized swimming team posted its second straight third-place finish at the U.S. Collegiate Championships and recorded a fourth place finish, its highest to date, at the U.S. National Championships. Six swimmers received Academic All-America honors and three swimmers were named All-Americans by the U.S. Synchronized Swimming Coaches Committee.

Sept. 4, 2003: The UAB football team plays host to Southern Miss in front of the big-gest crown in UAB history, and the most people ever to watch a Conference USA football game when 44,669 people flocked to Legion Field.

October 31, 2003: With a dominating 2-0 win on the road against USF, the UAB women’s soccer team earned its first Conference USA Championship and set the school record for shutouts in a season with nine. The Blazers’ Tara Kidwell and Jill Knottek each scored second half goals to lead UAB to its momentous victory.

March, 2004: The UAB men’s basketball team shocks the college basketball world with its 76-75 upset over top-seeded Kentucky to advance to the “Sweet 16” of the NCAA Tournament. The Blazers would finish the season with a 22-10 overall record and ranked No. 23 in the country. Also, the Blazers’ 12-4 record in Conference USA earned them a share of the first C-USA regular season championship. Head coach Mike Anderson was also named the 2004 Conference USA Coach of the Year.

Spring, 2004: The synchronized swimming team posted is third straight third-place finish at the U.S. Collegiate Championships and recorded a fifth-place finish at the U.S. National Championships.

Fall, 2004: The UAB women’s soccer team claimed the C-USA Tournament title with a thrilling 2-1 victory over host and regular-season champion Saint Louis in St. Louis, Mo., to earn its first NCAA Tournament berth in school history. The UAB football team made its

The final score read 13-10 as the UAB football program earned its signature

victory at LSU on Sept. 23, 2000.

Mirela Vladulesu took the collegiate tennis world by storm and was the top-ranked women’s tennis player in the country

for much of the 1997-98 season.

Page 27: 2012-13 Women's Tennis Fact Book

All-America Championship; she is the first UAB tennis player to win a collegiate grand slam event. Vladulescu will later be the top-ranked player in the NCAA rankings for much of the 1997-98 season. The men’s golf team receives a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

1998-99: The men’s basketball team makes its 10th appearance in the NCAA Tour-nament. Mirela Vladulescu returns to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year, despite an injury-plagued season.

1999-00: UAB athletics has arguably its best season to date. The UAB football team becomes an official member of Conference USA and goes 4-2 in conference play during its inaugural season. The UAB men’s soccer team wins the Conference USA Championship and reaches the NCAA “Elite Eight”. Synchronized swimming finishes fourth in the country

at the U.S. Collegiate Championships in its inaugural season. Women’s basketball reaches the “Sweet 16,” the men’s tennis team makes its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance and men’s golf makes its second NCAA Tournament appearance in three years.

July 10, 2000: Gene Bartow announces his retirement as athletics director after 23 years of service to the university.

August 22, 2000: Herman Frazier is named UAB’s second athletics director.

Sept. 23, 2000: In what was arguably the greatest win in UAB football history, the Blazers go to Baton Rouge, La. and upset SEC foe LSU, 13-10, on a game-winning field goal by

Rhett Gallego in the waining seconds.2000-01: Led by sophomore All-American Graeme McDowell, the

men’s golf team finished ninth in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to its first NCAA Championship at Duke University, where it garnered a tie for 12th place. Senior women’s tennis player Mirela Vladulescu finished off a four-year career as one of the most successful athletes in UAB history. The men’s soccer team made it to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. The football team finished 7-4 overall, becoming the first “bowl-eligi-ble” Blazer squad since UAB moved to the NCAA I-A level in 1996. The women’s basketball team, led by junior All-American Deanna Jackson, finished the season 20-11 and advanced to the WNIT. In just its second season, the synchronized swimming team placed fourth at the U.S. Collegiate Championships and eighth at the U.S. Nationals.

2001-02: Led by All-American Graeme McDowell, who was the No. 1-ranked golfer in the nation, the UAB men made their third consecutive appearance (fourth overall) in the NCAA Tournament. The Blazer football squad again boasted another “bowl eligible” sea-son, as the team went 6-5 in 2001. The men’s soccer team made its third consecutive trip (fourth overall) to the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the “Sweet 16.” The UAB softball team had its best season to date, advancing to the C-USA Championship game and boast-ing a 39-22 overall record. Denise Peters and Lisa Nowoslawski of the women’s soccer team were both named Verizon Academic All-Americans. In addition, Peters was named the C-USA Women’s Soccer Scholar Athlete of the Year. Synchronized swimming earned its highest finish to date at the U.S. Collegiate Championships, taking third. Four swimmers received Academic All-America honors and three swimmers were named All-Americans by the U.S. Synchronized Swimming Coaches Committee.

April 4, 2002: Athletics Director Herman Frazier and UAB President Ann Reynolds announce the hiring of Mike Anderson as UAB’s third men’s basketball coach.

November 21, 2002: Watson Brown is named UAB‘s third athletics director.2002-03: In his first season at the helm of the men’s basketball program, Mike Anderson

guided the Blazers to a 21-win season and a quarterfinal finish in the NIT. Lisa Nowoslawski capped off her career for the women’s soccer program by earning several prestigious aca-demic awards, including an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, the C-USA Postseason Scholar-ship Award and first-team Verizon / CoSIDA Academic All-America honors for the second straight year. The synchronized swimming team posted its second straight third-place finish at the U.S. Collegiate Championships and recorded a fourth place finish, its highest to date, at the U.S. National Championships. Six swimmers received Academic All-America honors and three swimmers were named All-Americans by the U.S. Synchronized Swimming Coaches Committee.

Sept. 4, 2003: The UAB football team plays host to Southern Miss in front of the big-gest crown in UAB history, and the most people ever to watch a Conference USA football game when 44,669 people flocked to Legion Field.

October 31, 2003: With a dominating 2-0 win on the road against USF, the UAB women’s soccer team earned its first Conference USA Championship and set the school record for shutouts in a season with nine. The Blazers’ Tara Kidwell and Jill Knottek each scored second half goals to lead UAB to its momentous victory.

March, 2004: The UAB men’s basketball team shocks the college basketball world with its 76-75 upset over top-seeded Kentucky to advance to the “Sweet 16” of the NCAA Tournament. The Blazers would finish the season with a 22-10 overall record and ranked No. 23 in the country. Also, the Blazers’ 12-4 record in Conference USA earned them a share of the first C-USA regular season championship. Head coach Mike Anderson was also named the 2004 Conference USA Coach of the Year.

Spring, 2004: The synchronized swimming team posted is third straight third-place finish at the U.S. Collegiate Championships and recorded a fifth-place finish at the U.S. National Championships.

Fall, 2004: The UAB women’s soccer team claimed the C-USA Tournament title with a thrilling 2-1 victory over host and regular-season champion Saint Louis in St. Louis, Mo., to earn its first NCAA Tournament berth in school history. The UAB football team made its

The final score read 13-10 as the UAB football program earned its signature

victory at LSU on Sept. 23, 2000.

Mirela Vladulesu took the collegiate tennis world by storm and was the top-ranked women’s tennis player in the country

for much of the 1997-98 season.

first bowl game appearance in school history as the Blazers faced Hawai’i in the 2004 Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl. The Blazers fell to the Warriors, 59-40, on Christmas Eve in Honolulu, Hawai’i.

Spring, 2006: The UAB men’s basketball team earned its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament after finishing as Conference USA regular season and tournament runner-up. The synchronized swimming team took fourth place at the U.S. Collegiate Nationals. The Blazer softball team turned in one of its finest seasons in program history as the team won 31 games during the season to finish as the C-USA runner-up. Head coach Marla Townsend was named the C-USA Coach-of-the-Year.

April 7, 2006: Mike Davis named as the fourth head basketball coach in program history.

Fall, 2006: UAB’s fall sports teams made three NCAA Tournament appearances, claimed three C-USA titles and beat the No. 1 team in the country. The UAB cross country team won the conference championship and head coach Ray Stanfield was named C-USA Coach of the Year. The women’s soccer team ran through the C-USA Tournament, and earned a berth in the NCAA Tour-nament. UAB’s men’s soccer team beat the No. 1 team in the country during the regular season and hosted a first-round NCAA Tournament game. To conclude the fall sports season, the Blazer volleyball squad won its first-ever Conference USA Tournament title and made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

December 17, 2006: For-mer Georgia offensive coordinator Neil Callaway was chosen to lead the UAB football team, becoming the third coach in the program’s history, and the second coach to lead the Blazers since becoming a Division I pro-gram in 1996.

Spring, 2007: Zack Sucher matched UAB’s high-est finish ever at the NCAA Men’s Golf Championships, closing the tournament tied for fourth place with a five-under 275 during four rounds of play. Sucher became just the fourth UAB men’s golfer in program history to earn All-American status, nabbing a spot on the honorable mention All-America team. In addition, the men’s golf team made its fifth NCAA Regional appearance in the past eight years.

February 14, 2007: For-mer UAB baseball player and alumnus Brian Mackin was selected as the program’s fourth full-time Athletics Director.

Spring, 2008: UAB men’s golf team cap-tures the program’s first-ever Conference USA Championship. The Blazers went on to make the program’s seventh NCAA Regional and third NCAA National Championship appearances. Zack Sucher was tabbed second-team All-America and captured four individual titles during the 2007-08 men’s golf season.

May 21, 2008: The UAB baseball team made history by recording the program’s first-ever win over the then-No. 5 Rice Owls, 8-2, in the opening round of the Conference USA Tourna-ment. Not only did the Blazers defeat the Owls for the first time in 10 tries, but it also was the second-highest ranked opponent the baseball team has defeated in program history. The Blazers would go on to match their best-ever result in the C-USA Tournament, making it to the semifinals.

2009-10: The softball team capped arguably the most successful season in program history with 37 wins and its first ever NCAA tournament berth. The men’s basketball team also Participated in the postseason, advancing to the NIT quarterfinals and hosting defending national champion North Carolina at Bartow Arena. Individually, football’s Joe Webb and men’s soccer’s Two-Boys Gumede

were selected as C-USA Offensive Players of the Year for their sports. Jala Harris became

the first C-USA women’s basketball player ever to earn Freshman and Sixth Player of the Year honors in the same season.

Feb. 23, 2010: The UAB softball team opened its new, on-campus facility, drawing a school-record crowd of

1,323 to its contest with Alabama.

Spring, 2011: The UAB men’s basketball team captured the pro-gram’s first-ever outright Confer-ence USA regular season champion-ship. The Blazers were also selected to the NCAA Tourna-ment, marking their first NCAA tourna-

ment appearance since 2006 and the pro-

gram’s 14th NCAA selection in its 32-year history. The softball

team earned its second NCAA berth in as many seasons as well. Furthermore, women’s

tennis standout Jenny Cape became the first

Academic All-American for her sport, while track and field also received its first Academic All-Amer-ica selections, as Nora Mehl and Rhiannon Johns received the nod.

Dec. 5, 2011: UAB’s Director of Athletics Brian Mackin introduced new football head coach Garrick McGee in front of a standing room only crowd in the Green and Gold room inside Bartow Arena. McGee becomes the fourth head coach in Blazer football history.

March 27, 2012: Jerod Haase was intro-duced as the new UAB men’s basketball coach by Athletic Director Brian Mackin. Haase, who spent the previous nine seasons at North Carolina, helping the Tar Heels to a pair of national championships (2005 and 2011), becomes the fifth head coach in the program’s 34-year history.

May 27, 2012: The UAB baseball team cel-ebrated the program’s first-ever C-USA Tournament title with a 5-0 victory over Memphis in the cham-pionship game. As a result, the Blazers reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991 and just the second time in program history.

Spring, 2012: Three UAB spring sports reached the NCAA Tournament. Following the base-ball team’s C-USA Championship dramatics, the Blazers were selected to compete at the Florida State regional. Meanwhile, the softball team made their third consecutive NCAA at-large appearance when UAB travelled to compete at the Tennessee Regional. Furthermore, the men’s golf team finished third at the NCAA Stanford Regional to the program’s fourth NCAA Championship appearance.

The 2006 UAB volleyball team won the C-USA Tournament title and competed in the program’s

first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament.

In 2011, the UAB men’s basketball team secured the program’s first outright Conference USA

regular season championship.

The 2012 UAB baseball team claimed the program’s first-ever Conference USA

Tournament title.