IRVING, Texas – SMU senior Hadley Doyle has been chosen as the 2023 American Athletic Conference Women’s Tennis Player of the Year by the league’s head coaches.
Temple's Maiko Uchijima was named The American’s Freshman of the Year. SMU head coach Jeff Nevolo was unanimously chosen by his counterparts as The American Coach of the Year.
Doyle, a native of Colleyville, Texas, led SMU to its first American Athletic Conference Championship in late April and played at the No. 1 singles position on a team that went 16-8 overall. Doyle went 11-3 in dual matches in the 2023 spring season, all at the No. 1 spot, while she went 10-4 in doubles play in her primary tandem. She was unbeaten during SMU's American Championship run as she finished 2-0 in singles and 3-0 in doubles.
Uchijima, a native of Toyama, Japan, stepped into the Temple lineup and was part of The American's highest-ranked doubles tandem in the ITA rankings. Uchijima went 18-1 in singles matches and 14-3 in doubles play during the dual match season and was 25-2 in singles and 28-4 in the combined fall and spring season. She paired with Jamie Wei to comprise a doubles tandem that was ranked as high as No. 5 in the ITA rankings, reached the quarterfinals of the ITA Fall Championships and qualified for the NCAA doubles championship.
Nevolo, who is in his fourth season as SMU's head coach, was chosen as The American’s Coach of the Year for the first time after he led the Mustangs to a 16-9 overall record and their first American Athletic Conference title. SMU reached the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2011 and was No. 32 nationally in last week's ITA rankings.
Doyle was one of six players who were unanimously chosen to The American’s all-conference team. SMU's Taylor Johnson joined Doyle as a unanimous pick, while UCF's Marie Mattel, South Florida's Sierra Berry, Temple's Jamie Wei and Tulsa's Laia Conde Monfort appeared on every ballot as well.
Five of the 13 players on the all-conference team were repeat selections from last season: Doyle, Mattel, Berry, Monfort and South Florida's Grace Schumacher.
2023 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE WOMEN’S TENNIS POSTSEASON HONORS
Player of the Year
Hadley Doyle, Sr., SMU
Freshman of the Year
Maiko Uchijima, Temple
Coach of the Year
Jeff Nevolo, SMU *
All-Conference Team
Marie Mattel, Sr., UCF *
Nandini Sharma, Sr., UCF
Laura Slisane, Jr., Houston
Camila Soares, Jr., Memphis
Sierra Berry, So., South Florida *
Grace Schumacher, Jr., South Florida
Hadley Doyle, Sr., SMU *
Taylor Johnson, Gr., SMU *
Drew Morris, So., SMU
Jamie Wei, Gr., Temple *
Maiko Uchijima, Fr., Temple
Laia Conde Monfort, Sr., Tulsa *
* unanimous selection