Wilson ITA Coach of the Year
Chase Hodges | Georgia Gwinnett College
As one of the most dominant programs in all of college tennis at any level, Georgia Gwinnett under Chase Hodges guidance had yet another banner year in 2022 winning their sixth consecutive NAIA National Championship. Finishing 17-0 on the season, the Grizzlies only dropped two points as a team throughout the season, which came to a nationally ranked Division II team.
ITA Assistant Coach of the Year
Kelsey Brown | Midland University
Before becoming a Coach, Brown played at Hastings College (NAIA) where she was the GPAC player of the year for 3 consecutive years and received All-American honors her senior year. As a coach, Brown has been just as impressive as in 2022 she helped lead both the Men’s and Women’s programs to historic seasons, including conference championships for both teams.
ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award
Narjis Mzibri | Olivet Nazarene University
On the court, Mzibri has been an integral part of the Olivet Nazarene team ever since she stepped on campus and has spent the entire season playing from the Tigers top singles position. Named the CCAC Player of the Week twice this season, Mzibiri finished the season as the No. 17 ranked singles player in the East Region. During her free time at ONU, Mzibri has been involved in Zenith Student-Run Marketing Agency where she is the team lead and Learning Ambassador of International Business (IB) and Management Information Systems (MIS). She has led a team of client services and visual storytellers to create social media content for the IB and MIS department all across the school of business to help indecisive majors get interested in IB and MIS.
ITA Rookie of the Year Award
Vanja Vidanovic | Keiser University
Vidanovic was a key part of the Keiser Women’s Tennis team this season and helped guide them to yet another NAIA National Championship appearance. In 2021-22 Vidanovic finished the season 22-9 in singles play and 22-10 in doubles play from the top hall of Keiser’s lineup. Named the 2022 Sun Conference Freshman of the Year, Vidanovic finished the season ranked No. 11 in the nation in singles play and No. 8 in the nation in doubles play.
ITA Most Improved Senior Award
Lena Golz | Indiana Wesleyan University
After beginning her collegiate career as a No. 4 and No. 5 position singles player in the IWU lineup, Golz has shown dedication and commitment to her game to rise up the Wildcats lineup this season and become a dominant force to be reckon with. Now playing No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles for IWU, Golz overcame a tough fall season to reach new heights in the Spring, beating some of the top NAIA talent from across the nation. Golz will leave IWU with a career singles record of 92-18, a career doubles record of 97-16, and a national ranking of No. 4 in doubles and No. 28 in singles.
ITA Senior Player of the Year Award
Maria Genovese | Georgia Gwinnett College
As a team captain and leader for the 2022 NAIA National Champion Georgia Gwinnett team, Genovese continued her storied career in 2022 playing from the top of the Grizzlies lineup. The 2020 ITA Cup Singles Champion and 2021 ITA Cup Doubles Champion, once again stood out amongst the crowd in 2022 finishing 10-1 in dual-match play this season, including a convincing 6-0, 6-0 win in the NAIA National Championship match. Genovese ends her career with Georgia Gwinnett as the No. 1 ranked singles player in the nation as well as the No. 1 ranked doubles player in the nation with partner Stephanie Fernandez.
