WINTHROP, Mass. – Sophomore Olga Zhizhin and junior Leah Bonis were named to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) All-Conference team, announced Thursday afternoon. The pair were instrumental from the top of the lineup that helped the Sharks claim the second seed with a 5-1 conference mark – their best since 2016.
Zhizhin became the first Shark to earn All-GNAC first team honors since Jessica Schroedi was named to the first team in 2016. The Newton, Massachusetts native posted a 2-2 record against GNAC foes from the top spot of the Sharks lineup, while also recording a 3-1 doubles mark against conference opponents, including a 2-0 record in first doubles with Leah Bonis.
Bonis was selected to the GNAC second team, following a 4-2 conference record, including a 3-1 mark in second singles. Additionally, the Maine native was outstanding in doubles with a 5-1 doubles record and was a 2-0 in first doubles alongside Zhizhin.
First-year Avery Halloran was named to the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team. Halloran, a two-time Rookie of the Week selection, had an outstanding first year at Simmons, posting a 7-3 singles record (4-2 against the GNAC) and a 5-5 doubles mark (4-2 against the GNAC).
The Sharks finished the year with their best conference record, 5-1, since 2016 and 7-3 overall. Simmons has two matches on the docket in the spring, traveling to Mount Holyoke on April 6, 2022 and hosting Bentley at 3:30 p.m. on April 15, 2022.
2021 GNAC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
FIRST TEAM SINGLES
JuJu Oliver, Albertus Magnus (Fr. - New Britain, Conn.)
Grace Carpenter, Colby-Sawyer (Fr. - Milford, N.H.)
Emily Hill, Colby-Sawyer (Jr. - Wilmington, Mass.)
Lindsay MacDonald, Colby-Sawyer (So. - South Yarmouth, Mass.)
Katelyn Mogelnicki, Regis (Sr. - Wethersfield, Conn.)
Olga Zhizhin, Simmons (So. - Newton, Mass.)
FIRST TEAM DOUBLES
Emily Hill / Grace Carpenter, Colby-Sawyer
SECOND TEAM SINGLES
Elise Hogan, Colby-Sawyer (Fr. - Duxbury, Mass.)
Kaitlyn Colby, Regis (Sr. - Merrimac, Mass.)
Samantha Gevry, Regis (Fr. - Dudley, Mass.)
Lauren Mogelnicki, Regis (Sr. - Wethersfield, Conn.)
Emily Kerr, USJ (Jr. – Portland, Conn.)
Leah Bonis, Simmons (Jr. - Bath, Maine)
SECOND TEAM DOUBLES
Elise Hogan / Lindsay MacDonald, Colby-Sawyer
PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Lindsay MacDonald, Colby-Sawyer
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR – Grace Carpenter, Colby-Sawyer
COACH OF THE YEAR – Barry Schoonmaker, Colby-Sawyer
TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD – Lesley University
ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Giana Cagna, Albertus Magnus
Elise Hogan, Colby-Sawyer
Maria Busila, Eastern Nazarene
Morgan Anderson, Lesley
Lauren Mogelnicki, Regis
Elaina Griffiths, USJ
Avery Halloran, Simmons