HAVERFORD, Pa. - Haverford College sophomore Abbey Russano capped off a stellar first full season with another standout academic honor, earning the PhillySIDA Academic All-Area Performer of the Year Award for women's tennis. Joining Russano on the squad was teammate Mimi Lavin. The 2022 campaign represents the second time in program history that Haverford has placed two members on the squad (Jane Bary and Julia Gan in 2018) while Russano is the first Performer of the Year in program history.
In order to be eligible for Academic All-Area, an athlete must be in their second year at the institution and hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 or better. The team is voted on by the sports information offices of 30 institutions in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
Russano played No. 1 singles and doubles for Haverford this spring, earning first-team All-Centennial Conference in singles and second-team honors in doubles. She also boasts a No. 21 ranking in Atlantic South singles. Russano went 13-6 in singles this season, including a 6-2 mark in CC play and a 6-1 mark at the top flight. Led by Russano, Haverford posted the highest national ranking in program history (35th).
Russano was selected to player in the singles competition at the NCAA Division III Championships in Orlando, Fla., the first Haverford player to earn individual qualification since 1988. Russano is a rising Environmental Studies major at Haverford and is a Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll recipient.
Lavin, a chemistry major at Haverford, earned her spot on the team by virtue of a standout sophomore campaign that included All-Conference accolades in singles play. Lavin, of Boca Raton, Fla. was 13-3 during the dual match season, logging an 8-1 mark in CC play. The sophomore went 4-0 at the top two flights and settled into the number three spot on the ladder, going 9-3 in those matches while finishing the season on an impressive eight match winning streak.
Swarthmore's Jenny Lewis and Sonia Varma joined Penn's Marija Curnic, Saint Joseph's Amanda Nava, and Temple's Yining Tian to round out the squad.