OUA announces 2016 Tennis Major Awards and All-Stars

BURLINGTON, Ont. – Ontario University Athletics is excited to announce the 2016 tennis major awards and all-stars.

Western Mustangs standout Helen He (Guelph, Ont.) has been named Women's Player of the Year and an OUA all-star for the second straight season after she helped the team capture their first championship title since 2013.

Playing as the Mustangs No. 1 seed, He, who was selected as OUA Rookie of the Year in 2015, went undefeated in singles play and won two of three doubles matches at the OUA championship.

Joining He as an OUA all-star selection is Mustangs teammate Aurthi Muthukumara (Burlington, Ont.).  In her fourth season with the team, Muthukumara was selected as an all-star for the first time in her career after she went undefeated at the OUA championship.   

Coming off their championship win, the future continues to look bright for the Mustangs as first-year phenom Sophie Bui (Thornhill, Ont.) was named OUA Rookie of the Year.  Bui, who was a member of Mayfair West (TTA), won five of six matches, including going a perfect 3-for-3 in singles action.

After guiding the Mustangs women's tennis team to the top step of the podium on their home court, Western head coach Mike Richards has been selected by his peers are Women's Coach of the Year.  This is his second Coach of the Year award and first since 2009.

A season after being named OUA Player of the Year, York Lions standout Nikki Carnovale (Woodbridge, Ont.) is an OUA all-star for a second consecutive season.  The second-year kinesiology and health science swept her doubles matches and split her singles matches last weekend at the OUA championship.

Carnovale isn't the only Lion to be named an OUA all-star as rookie sensation Claudia Poluga (Toronto, Ont.) turned an unbeaten run at the OUA championship into a provincial honour.  The former Father Bressani C.H.S. grad went 4-0 in the tournament and looks to be a fixture on a young Lions team for years to come.

Nancy Baloescu (Kitchener, Ont.) will represent Waterloo on the OUA all-star team after she helped the Warriors women to one of their most successful championship finishes in program history.  In her OUA championship debut, the first-year arts major, went 4-2 with her only losses coming against the No. 1 seeded Lions.

Rounding out the OUA all-star selections is Catherine Drolet (Laval, Que.) of the Montreal Carabins.  Drolet swept her three singles matches and finished the OUA championship with a 4-2 record.

On the men's side, York Lions standout Filip Obucina (Etobicoke, Ont.) was selected as Men's Player of the Year and an OUA all-star following a tremendous 2016 season.

Despite the Lions finishing fourth at the OUA championship, it wasn't for a lack of trying from the third-year administrative studies student-athlete.  Playing out of the top spot in singles, Obucina won all three of his matches over the weekend, earning York's only point in a semifinal loss to eventual champion Western. This is the second consecutive season that the Etobicoke, Ont native will represent the Lions on the OUA all-star team.

Following their fourth OUA Tennis championship in the past five seasons, the Western Mustangs have a pair of OUA all-stars as Andre Szilvassy (Burlington, Ont.) and Ian Sneddon (London, Ont.) have been recognized for their strong play. 

As the Mustangs No. 1 seed, Szilvassy picked up two crucial doubles victories and split his singles matches at the OUA championship.  It is the second straight season Szilvassy has been selected to the team.

Sneddon, who transferred from Tulane University, won all four of his singles and doubles matches and is an OUA all-star for the first time.

The dynamic duo of Cameron Cross and Anthony Glavanic helped the Mustangs reclaim the C.L.T.A. Cup and bring home Men's Coach of the Year honours as a result.  This is the third award for the pair as they previously won the honours in 2012 and 2013.

The Montreal Carabins claimed a bronze medal at the OUA championship last weekend thanks to strong performances from Rachard Rahini (????) and Hugo Maurice (Cayenna, FG), both of which have been named all-stars.  

Rahini also captured the Men's Rookie of the Year award after the first-year standout opened the tournament with a singles and doubles victory while playing out of the No. 1 spot for the Carabins.

As the No. 2 seed for Montreal, Maurice went 4-2 in singles and doubles play, with his only losses coming against the eventual champion Mustangs.

Maurice and Rahini are the first Carabins men to be named all-star since Colomban Bounine represented Montreal in 2014.

Rounding out the OUA all-star selections is Sasha Obucina (Etobicoke, Ont.) of the University of Toronto Varsity Blues.  Sasha joins his brother Filip on the team after he picked up a pair of singles and doubles victories as the Blues captured the silver medal at the OUA championship.

MEN'S MAJOR AWARDS
Player of the Year – Filip Obucina – York Lions
Rookie of the Year – Rachard Rahini – Montreal Carabins
Coach of the Year – Cameron Cross / Anthony Glavanic – Western Mustangs

WOMEN'S MAJOR AWARDS
Player of the Year – Helen He – Western Mustangs
Rookie of the Year – Sophie Bui – Western Mustangs
Coach of the Year – Mike Richards – Western Mustangs

MEN'S ALL-STARS
Andre Szilvassy – Western Mustangs
Ian Sneddon – Western Mustangs
Hugo Maurice – Montreal Carabins
Rachard Rahini – Montreal Carabins
Filip Obucina – York Lions
Sasha Obucina – Toronto Varsity Blues

WOMEN'S ALL-STARS
Helen He – Western Mustangs
Aurthi Muthukumara – Western Mustangs
Nikki Carnovale – York Lions
Claudia Poluga – York Lions
Catherine Drolet – Montreal Carabins
Nancy Baloescu – Waterloo Warriors