WMU News

Chinwah, Girsang earn All-MAC honors

May 1, 2002

CLEVELAND -- Two members of the Western Michigan University women's tennis team were named to the All-Mid-American Conference teams

Senior Larissa Chinwah earned first-team All-MAC honors for the fourth straight season, while
sophomore Frederika Girsang was named to the second team All-MAC. Girsang has now been All-MAC for two straight seasons. She earned first-team honors last year.

Since the adoption of the current rules for All-MAC teams in 1994, Chinwah is the first player at
Western Michigan to earn first-team honors four consecutive seasons. She joins Sue Weigand, Amy Yeast, and Audrey Smith as the only players in WMU history to earn All-MAC status four straight seasons. Despite battling injuries much of the spring season, the Sydney, Australia, native has posted an overall record of 31-18, which includes a 19-6 mark in doubles. She has a combined record of 11-5 in MAC matches, playing No. 1 singles and No. 1 and 2 doubles. Chinwah ranks No. 15 on Western Michigan's all-time wins list with 149 victories.

Girsang has had a strong sophomore season for the Broncos. She leads the team in overall wins
(48), singles wins (25), doubles wins (23), and winning percentage (.658). A native of Jakarta, Indonesia, Girsang has an overall record of 48-25. She went 12-4 overall in MAC play, which included a 7-1 mark in singles. The 2001 MAC Newcomer of the Year, Girsang has a career winning percentage of .703.

The women's tennis team finished the season with an overall record of 14-11 and were 7-2 in MAC regular season competition. The Broncos lost to Marshall in the semifinals of the conference tournament. This season was the first since 1998 that WMU did not win either the MAC regular season or tournament title.

First Team All-MAC
Larissa Chinwah, Western Michigan, Senior
Lisa D'Amelio, Eastern Michigan, Junior
Rebecca Hawkins, Eastern Michigan, Junior
Jessica Johnson, Marshall, Sophomore
Anna Mitina, Marshall, Senior
Kadija Richards, Miami, Senior
Branka Savic, Northern Illinois, Sophomore

Second Team All-MAC
Simone Duhme, Eastern Michigan, Senior
Frederika Girsang, Western Michigan, Sophomore
Melissa Roach, Ball State, Sophomore
Irina Strembitsky, Akron, Sophomore
Tanja Sukovic, Northern Illinois, Junior

Due to a tie in the voting, there are seven first-team members, and five second-team members.

Media contact: Travis McCurdy, 269 387-3221, travis.mccurdy@wmich.edu


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