Quartet of Mavericks Earn All-Conference Recognition

NEW ORLEANS – A quartet of Mavericks were honored by the Sun Belt Conference on Thursday morning. Head Tennis Coach Diego Benitez was named SBC Coach of the Year, while Sarina Reinertsen earned Freshman of the Year honors and was voted Section Team All-SBC. Liz Chileno and Tara Gorinsek also earned All-SBC honors, as they were voted First Team and Second Team All-Singles, respectively.

Diego Benitez put together a season for the ages for the Mavericks and earned his first Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year Award, third in his career. A team featuring just two seniors against five freshmen, the Mavericks broke the program record for wins in a season as UTA embarked on a 21-2 campaign. Benitez also led the Mavericks to a second straight regular season conference championship - the first back-to-back championship since joining the league. The three regular freshman in the lineup - Tara Gorinsek, Ana Paula Jimenez and Sarina Reinertsen - went a combined 53-1 in singles competition and did not lose a single match against Sun Belt opponents. Benitez has now led the Mavericks to a 17-1 record in conference play over the past two seasons.

Switching between positions one and two for the Mavericks, Liz Chileno became a large part of the success the Mavericks saw this year as the junior won 12 matches between the two courts. She lost just one match against Sun Belt foes this spring and won all but one of her matches in straight sets. Going back to tournament play in the fall, Chileno went 17-6 on the season.

Sarina Reinertsen had a perfect freshman campaign for UTA, finishing with an 18-0 mark in the spring. Playing anywhere from courts three through six, Reinertsen was instrumental in helping the Mavericks win a program best 22 matches and repeat as SBC Regular Season Champions. She was a perfect 7-0 against SBC opponents, all in straight set wins, and was second on the team with a 24-5 record dating back to tournament play in the fall.

Playing on courts two through five, Tara Gorinsek had a perfect spring slate, going 16-0 In her matches and 5-0 In Sun Belt Conference play. Her play was instrumental to helping the Mavericks win their second straight regular season Sun Belt Conference Championship. Gorinsek holds a 21-5 overall record dating back to fall competition. She won all of her matches against Sun Belt opponents in straight sets.

The Mavericks will begin their quest for a Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship tomorrow (April 22) where they await the winner of Arkansas State and Troy in the quarterfinals. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ at 1 p.m.

SUN BELT AWARD WINNERS
Player of the Year
Nikola Kohoutova, South Alabama

Player to Watch
Angel Carney, Georgia State

Newcomer of the Year
Hagar Amin, Troy

Freshman of the Year
Sarina Reinertsen, UTA

Coach of the Year
Diego Benitez, UTA

Singles All-Conference First Team
Nikola Kohoutova, South Alabama
Eva Chivu, Georgia State
Hana Kvapilova, Texas State
Helena Jansen, App State
Silvia Martinez Jimenez, Georgia Southern
Liz Chileno, UTA

Doubles All-Conference First Team
Thea Rice / Nejla Zukic, Arkansas State
Jesse Hollins / Victoire De Samucewicz, Coastal Carolina
Yu Fujioka / Lara van der Merwe, South Alabama

Singles All-Conference Second Team
Andreea Stanescu, Georgia State
Angel Carney, Georgia State
Sarina Reinertsen, UTA
Victoire De Samucewicz, Coastal Carolina
Tara Gorinsek, UTA
Yu Fujioka, South Alabama

Doubles All-Conference Second Team
Hana Kvapilova / Kate Malazonia, Texas State
Luminita Tutunaru / Nikola Kohoutova, South Alabama
Angel Carney / Sofya Golubovskaya, Georgia State

FOLLOW ALONG
For updates, behind-the-scenes photos, videos and more engaging and personal content, be sure to follow the women's tennis program on Twitter (@UTAMavsWTEN), Instagram (@UTAMavsWTEN) and Facebook ( /UTAMavsWTEN).

Players Mentioned

Liz Chileno

Tara Gorinsek

Ana Paula Jimenez

Sarina Reinertsen

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