April 21, 2010
NORMAL, Ill. -
Illinois State women's tennis student-athletes Hannah Esker, Natalia Lech, and Carmen Peters were among 26 student-athletes named to the 2010 Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Team, as announced by the league office Wednesday. Esker and Lech were named to the first-team, while Peters was named honorable mention.
Nominees must have reached a sophomore academic and athletic standing to meet performance standards and be eligible for selection. Student-athletes must have at least a 3.2 cumulative grade-point average and have participated in 75 percent of the regular season or projected participation in the MVC Championship to earn a spot on the MVC Scholar-Athlete team.
Esker, a sophomore, has mainly played at the No. 6 position where she has gone undefeated in her last thirteen matches, seven of which have been in conference play. The Effingham, Ill., native was named to the scholar-athlete team for the first time in her career and currently holds a perfect 4.00 grade-point average in mathematics at Illinois State. Esker is ranked first on the team with a 22-6 overall singles record and is 17-3 in the spring with a 7-0 Valley mark. She also won the 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Individual Championship at the No. 6 singles position after defeating Drake's Earlynn Laur, 6-2, 2-6, 6-0.
Lech, a senior, also earned scholar-athlete first team honors for the first time in her career. The Toronto, Canada, native has accumulated a 3.97 grade-point average in economics at Illinois State. Lech ranked third on the team with a 19-12 record on the year, with a 14-5 spring record and a 6-1 conference mark. This Redbird won the 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Individual Championship at the No. 4 position after besting Florentina Hanisch of Wichita State, 6-4, 6-2.
Peters, a senior, was named to the honorable mention team for the first time in her career. The Sundern-Allendorf, Germany, native has collected a 3.48 grade-point average with a major in English. Peters mainly plays at the No. 3 doubles court with partner Esker. Together the duo has marked a 17-4 overall record and a 15-4 dual record on the season with a 6-1 Valley mark. The pair won the 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Individual Championship at the No. 2 doubles position after defeating Sampada Kanada and Jessica Kunzelmann, 8-3. Over the course of the spring season, Esker and Lech built a nine-match winning streak.
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