SAINT PETER, MINN. – As a part of the 2015 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women’s Tennis postseason awards that were announced Tuesday, Gustavus’ Sidney Dirks (Jr., St. Peter, Minn.) was named to the All-Conference Doubles Team, while Laurel Krebsbach (Sr., North Oaks, Minn.), Michaela Schulz (So., Elk River, Minn.) and Lizzy Stanczyk (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) were selected as All-Conference Singles and Doubles honorees. Head coach Jon Carlson was also honored, as he was named Co-Coach-of-the-Year, along with St. Thomas’ Terry Peck.
Krebsbach has now been named to the All-Conference Singles and Doubles Teams in each of her four seasons as a Gustie. Krebsbach held down the No. 2 singles position in 2015 and went a combined 18-9, including a perfect 9-0 mark in the MIAC. In doubles, Krebsbach and Dirks played at the No. 1 spot and went 11-8 on the season and 8-2 in conference play. Dirks was also named to the All-Conference Doubles team last season.
Schulz and Stanczyk are both making their second appearances in the conference’s postseason awards, as both earned a place on last season’s doubles team and Schulz was also on the singles squad in 2014. This season, the pair locked down the No. 2 doubles position and went 17-3 overall and 10-0 in conference play. In singles, Schulz played at the No. 1 spot and went 21-10 overall and 10-0 in the MIAC, while Stanczyk was at the No. 3 position and had an overall mark of 18-13 and 6-4 in conference play.
After coaching Gustavus to a 16-13 overall record and a perfect 10-0 mark in MIAC play en route to the Gusties’ 27th regular-season conference title, Carlson earned coach-of-the-year honors for the eighth time. He is now 536-177 overall and has complied a 245-6 MIAC record over the course of his 25-year career.
The Gustavus women’s tennis team had one of its most successful seasons in recent memory, as it won the regular season conference title for the first time since 2011. It also came just short of earning the MIAC’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, as it fell 5-2 to the University of St. Thomas this past Sunday in the MIAC Women’s Tennis Playoff Championship.
As part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC also announced the ninth annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team for women’s tennis. Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the court. Representing Gustavus on this year’s All-Sportsmanship Team was senior Laurel Krebsbach.