The University of Mississippi Athletics
Women's Tennis Player Wins Regional Award
5/18/2000 | Women's Tennis
May 18, 2000
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss women's tennis senior Ivona Mihailova won the ITA South Region TENNIS Magazine Arthur Ashe, Jr., Sportsmanship and Leadership Award as the regional awards were announced Thursday by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Mihailova is one of eight winners from Division I schools around the country that are now eligible for the national award which will be presented at the NCAA Championships on May 21.
Mihailova, a native of Skopje, Macedonia, has compiled a 104-41 singles record in her four-year career. She is currently ranked No. 16 in the nation with a 22-13 overall record. An All-SEC second team selection, Mihailova qualified for the NCAA Singles Championships for the third consecutive year. This year's NCAA Individual Championships are being held in Malibu, Calif. May 22-26.
This is Mihailova's second regional award as she won the Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award last year. Mihailova has excelled off the court as well, earning All-SEC academic honors three times and being nominated for the GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America Team. She graduated from the University of Mississippi this year with a degree in International Business.
"It is so appropriate for Ivona to receive this award because she embodies the importance of education, sportsmanship and leadership that was evident in the priorities of Arthur Ashe," head coach Jerry Montgomery said. "Ivona has led our program with class and commitment and it is fitting that she would receive this recognition. She has set a high standard that will provide direction and challenge for our future players."
The ITA TENNIS Magazine Arthur Ashe, Jr., Sportsmanship and Leadership Award is given to a junior or senior player who represents excellence on and off the tennis courts and sportsmanship and leadership.
The Lady Rebels have now won 13 regional awards in the last six years. Mihailova is the third player to receive the TENNIS Magazine Arthur Ashe, Jr., Sportsmanship and Leadership Award. Marie-Laure Bougnol won it twice in 1995 and 1996, and Courtenay Chapman received it last year.
