Women’s tennis announces 2024 team awards

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – After a historic season that saw the Midshipmen win their first Patriot League championship and earn a berth in the NCAA tournament, head coach Keith Puryear and associate head coach Alessandra Pedergnana announced the Navy women’s tennis team’s end-of-year awards last week at the program’s annual banquet.

For the third consecutive season, junior Emily Tannenbaum was named the team’s Most Valuable Player to recognize the honorees. Additionally, freshman Makaila Cheng won Rookie of the Year laurels while another freshman Carly Mew and junior Parvathi Shanker shared honors as Most Improved Intermediate Players. To complete the distinctions, the juniors Kate Lee claiming the Unsung Hero Award, senior Samantha Johns winning Warrior of the Year and Senior Captain Stella Ribaudo receive the Team Leadership Award.

Tannenbaum earned first-team All-Patriot League selection for the third straight season after breaking four program records while tallying a prolific 18-3 mark in doubles singles and a perfect 9-0 combined record in championship. Shattering previous records for single-season singles wins (33) and career No. 1 singles wins (36), the junior also set two of her own single-season records, totaling 18 wins at first place in singles and recording 55 combined victories during the campaign. She also put herself on the brink of another school record when her 13-game singles winning streak from Oct. 27 to March 7 was tied for second in program history. Tannenbaum also went 22-10 in doubles, totaling a 14-4 spring mark and a 5-0 record in league doubles.

Solidifying his place in the singles lineup during Patriot League play, Cheng finished his rookie campaign with a record of 16-6 in singles and 15-6 in doubles. Going 12-3 this spring in singles play, Cheng went a perfect 3-0 in league play, then picked up one of the Mids’ singles points in the Patriot League championship match with a win over Sydney Sharma from Boston. The freshman also won her only doubles match in the league while going 6-5 in doubles play during the spring.

Joining the team this summer, Mew earned her first collegiate singles victory in her debut match, defeating Monmouth’s Madison Mills in a three-set battle at the Moore Invitational. She also had two doubles victories, including one at the Moore Invitational, then teaming with Manci Pal for a victory against Coppin State on February 17.

Shanker was a late-season standout for the Mids, accumulating a 14-11 singles record that included a 2-1 mark in the Patriot League, while posting a 19-13 doubles record. The highlight of the junior season came in the Patriot League semifinals, when Shanker outlasted Paige Herremans in a three-hour, three-set battle that clinched Navy’s 4-3 victory over Army . Lee also had an outstanding junior campaign, going 15-10 in singles and 19-12 in doubles, highlighted by a 3-1 record in Patriot League singles matches. With a record of 7-2 in her last 10 singles matches, Lee posted two of Navy’s biggest wins of the season during that stretch by defeating Army’s Emma Sy in the Star Match and then in rallying to victory against Boston’s Emily Zhao in the league final. Additionally, Shanker and Lee double-teamed to form one of Navy’s most consistent duos at 19-12. The duo combined to go 13-6 in the spring, including winning all three of their doubles matches in the league tournament.

A first-team All-Patriot League selection, Johns posted a 17-6 mark in her dual singles roster. Taking her to 26 singles wins, which ranks fifth in program history, she was also 11-4 in her first No. 2 singles spot. Claiming 13 of her last 15 singles bouts in the regular season, the senior accumulated a 4-1 record in Patriot League play and was one of the winning points in Navy’s third straight victory in the Star Match against rival Army. In doubles, Johns posted a 21-13 overall record, including a 12-7 mark in the spring. Specifically, Johns partnered with Sia Chaudry for a 15-10 overall record that included a 10-5 mark at first place in the spring while also going 3-0 over their last four matches, helping the pair become the premier doubles team in the Patriot League year in program history.

Despite the injuries, Ribaudo was a huge presence during the Mids’ run to their first Patriot League title. The senior was 14-15 in singles and 11-8 in doubles this season, representing the team alongside Tannenbaum at the Milwaukee Tennis Classic and the San Diego Veterans Tennis Classic for the second straight season. Additionally, Ribaudo helped mentor numerous underclassmen who became key parts of the championship team, including going 3-2 in doubles when playing with freshmen and giving example thanks to a 2-0 record in first place in singles.

Navy ended its season last Friday in the NCAA first round, falling to No. 4 North Carolina.