NEW YORK -- The BIG EAST Conference announced the 2023 All-Conference Women’s Tennis honors and regular season awards on Wednesday. Xavier’s Imani Graham was named the BIG EAST Player of the Year, teammate Abby Nugent was lauded BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. Led by Head Coach Tom Lilly, the Creighton Bluejays were recognized as Coaching Staff of the Year.
Graham and UConn sophomore Maria Constantinou were unanimously selected to the First Team. St. John’s and Xavier led the league in total All-Conference awardees with three each.
This season, Graham owned a 13-5 record while competing at No.1 singles for the four-time BIG EAST Champion Musketeers. The junior was undefeated in BIG EAST play, besting All-BIG EAST First Team honorees Emilija Kojcic (Marquette, 6-2, 6-2), Maria Constantinou (UConn, 6-2, 6-3), and Yuliya Kizelbasheva (DePaul, 6-1, 1-0, WR) during the regular season. At the 2023 BIG EAST Championship, she collected a straight-set victory over St. John’s Lalita Devarakonda (6-2, 6-2) in the semifinal round. Graham was not required to complete her singles matches in the quarter and championship rounds due to early clinches on other courts.
Graham played the majority of the season at No. 2 doubles alongside partner Anna Roggenburk. The duo collected a pair of victories at the championship, defeating Marquette’s Julianne Bou and Laiser in the quarterfinals (6-1) as well as Creighton’s Ana Paula Martinez and Valerie Negin in the final round (6-2). The pair produced notable victories during the regular season as well, defeating Mejic/Lemmons of No. 68 Indiana (6-2) and No. 54 Purdue’s Fodor/Gallardo Guevara (6-2).
Nugent’s rookie campaign featured stints at No. 2 (12-6) and No. 3 singles (8-6) while playing at top doubles for the entire season (11-5). During the regular season she defeated BIG EAST rivals DePaul’s Lenka Antonijevic (No.3; 6-0, 6-2) and UConn’s Isabel Petri Bere (No.3; 6-2, 6-2). While not required to finish any singles matches at her first BIG EAST Championship, Nugent and partner Kat Lyman earned two essential doubles victories. The pair defeated St. John’s Jayden Nielsen and Yesica de Lucas (6-2) in the semifinals before clinching the doubles point in the championship match, overcoming Creighton’s Malvika Shukla and Leanne Kendall (6-3).
After leading the Bluejays to their first ever BIG EAST Championship match, Creighton’s head coach Tom Lilly and assistant Jean Lilly are the 2023 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year. The Lillys led their squad to a historic 17-8 record, highlighted by 20+ wins from five players. Additionally, Creighton earned its best BIG EAST seed to date, entering the Championship at No. 3. Following a historic season, Lilly was also named BIG EAST Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year, sharing the honor with St. John’s Dillon Pottish.
Ballots were cast by the league’s head coaches. The All-BIG EAST women’s tennis all-conference teams are made up of six at-large selections each. Coaches could not vote for their own players. See below for the full listing.
BIG EAST Women’s Tennis Player of the Year
Imani Graham, Xavier
BIG EAST Women’s Tennis Freshman of the Year
Abby Nugent, Xavier
BIG EAST Women’s Tennis Coaching Staff of the Year
Creighton
All-BIG EAST First Team
(listed alphabetically)
Natalie Boesing, Butler
Maria Constantinou, UConn^
Imani Graham, Xavier^
Yuliya Kizelbasheva, DePaul
Emilija Kojcic, Marquette
Malvika Shukla, Creighton
All-BIG EAST Second Team
(listed alphabetically)
Mouna Bouzgarruo, St. John’s
Lalita Devarakonda, St. John’s
Yesica de Lucas, St. John’s
Kat Lyman, Xavier
Valerie Negin, Creighton
Abby Nugent, Xavier
^ denotes unanimous selection