Three Blue Jays Earn Women's Tennis All-GNAC Honors

WINTHROP, Mass. - Senior captain Emily Kerr (Portland, Conn.) and freshman Liliana Garcia (Wethersfield, Conn.) of the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's tennis team were named All-Conference selections, as Kerr earned All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Second Team Singles honors for the second consecutive season, while Garcia garnered All-GNAC Rookie Team accolades for the 2022 season, it was announced on Monday by the league's front office. Additionally, junior Kathleen Gilland (Wethersfield, Conn.) was tabbed to the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team, as the conference unveiled its year-end GNAC Major Awards and All-Conference Teams, which are voted on by the league's seven head coaches. 

OFFICIAL GNAC RELEASE 

Kerr was a staple in the starting lineup for the Blue Jays playing in every match this season primarily at the No. 2 singles position and on the No. 1 doubles team with Gilland. Kerr finished the season with a team-best 8-2 record overall at the No. 2 singles slot. Kerr ended the season strong, winning her final four matches, going 4-2 against GNAC counterparts on the season en route to earning All-GNAC Second Team honors. In doubles action, Kerr finished 3-8 overall and went 2-4 against GNAC foes. 

Garcia had a solid debut season for the Blue Jays playing in all but one match this season at the No. 3 singles position and on the No. 2 doubles team, primarily with junior Ananya Srivatsav (South Windsor, Conn.). Garcia finished the season with a 3-6 record overall in singles play, including a 1-4 mark in GNAC play to receive All-GNAC Rookie Team honors. In doubles action, Garcia finished with a team-best record of 5-4 overall and a 2-3 mark in conference play with Srivatsav, while posting a 0-1 record with Jenna Griffith (Higganum, Conn.) to finish 5-5 on the year. 

The accolades mark the second career All-GNAC honor for Kerr and the first All-GNAC selection for Garcia. Now seventh-year head coach Karen Piazza also has some hardware to her name after she was named the GNAC Coach of the Year following the 2017 campaign. 

For the complete list of all-conference honorees, major award winners, and all-sportsmanship selections, please see below.

FIRST TEAM SINGLES 
Grace Carpenter, Colby-Sawyer (So., Milford, N.H.) 
Alyssa Owens, Colby-Sawyer (Jr., Grain Valley, Mo.) 
Jessica Legendre, Lesley (Fr., Leesville , La.) 
Katelyn Mogelnicki, Regis (Gr., Wethersfield, Conn.) 
Kiana Thompson, Regis (Fr., Boynton Beach, Fla.) 
Libby Weed, Simmons (Sr., Brooksville, Maine) 

FIRST TEAM DOUBLES 
Kiana Thompson / Samantha Gevry, Regis  

SECOND TEAM SINGLES 
Mariah Manulak, Albertus Magnus (Sr., Shelton, Conn.) 
Isabella Gutierrez, Colby-Sawyer (So., Tegucigalpa, Honduras) 
Emily Hill, Colby-Sawyer (Sr., Wilmington, Mass.) 
Elise Hogan, Colby-Sawyer (So., Duxbury, Mass.) 
Samantha Gevry, Regis (So., Dudley, Mass.) 
Emily Kerr, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Sr., Portland, Conn.) 

SECOND TEAM DOUBLES 
Alyssa Owens / Elise Hogan, Colby-Sawyer 

ALL-ROOKIE TEAM 
Isabella Gutierrez, Colby-Sawyer (So., Tegucigalpa, Honduras) 
Alyssa Owens, Colby-Sawyer (Jr., Grain Valley, Mo.) 
Jessica Legendre, Lesley (Fr., Leesville , La.) 
Kiana Thompson, Regis (Fr., Boynton Beach, Fla.) 
Liliana Garcia, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Fr., Wethersfield, Conn.) 
Annabelle Halloran, Simmons (Fr., Mill Valley, Calif.) 

PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Kiana Thompson, Regis 
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Kiana Thompson, Regis 
COACH OF THE YEAR - Jessica Russo, Lesley 
TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD - Albertus Magnus 

ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM 
Nayelli Garcia, Albertus Magnus 
Amelia Campanella, Colby-Sawyer  
Maria Busila, Eastern Nazarene 
Morgan Anderson, Lesley 
Nora Connor, Regis 
Kathleen Gilland, St. Joseph (Conn.) 
Libby Weed, Simmons 

About The GNAC 
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 3,500 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.