BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Five Gustavus Adolphus College women’s tennis players were named to the All-MIAC Team that was announced Tuesday by the conference office. Seniors Sid Dirks (St. Peter, Minn.) and Lizzy Stanczyk (Plymouth, Wis.), junior Michaela Schulz (Elk River, Minn.), sophomore Ally Baker (Rosemount, Minn.), and first-year Briana Hartmann (Owatonna, Minn.) were each named to both the All-Conference singles and doubles teams. In addition, sophomore Katie Aney (Rochester, Minn.) was named the conference’s Elite 22 winner, which honors the individual with the highest GPA at the MIAC Playoff Championship site.
Dirks, a senior captain, is making her third consecutive appearance on the All-MIAC doubles team and second on the singles squad. The St. Peter native primarily held down the No. 3 singles and doubles positions on the year. In singles, Dirks went 16-13 overall, including a 6-2 mark in the MIAC. In doubles, she compiled a record of 22-10, including a 9-1 conference record.
Schulz, who is ranked No. 36 in the nation and No. 9 in the region individually, is making her third straight appearance on both the singles and doubles teams. The junior played No. 1 singles and doubles for the Gusties, posting an 18-14 overall singles record (8-1 MIAC) and 22-9 doubles mark (8-1 MIAC).
Stanczyk, who transferred to Gustavus from St. Louis University midway through her sophomore season, is being honored for the second consecutive season on the singles and doubles teams. Dirks’ fellow senior captain went 8-9 in singles (5-3 MIAC), primarily playing at the No. 2 spot, and went 17-5 (8-1 MIAC) at the No. 1 doubles position.
Baker, a sophomore, made the jump from No. 6 singles last season and held down the No. 4 position this year. The Rosemount native went 22-8 overall (8-1 MIAC) in singles while also going 24-6 in doubles (8-1 MIAC), primarily playing at the second spot.
In her rookie season, Hartmann broke into the collegiate tennis scene with a 24-8 overall mark in singles (10-0 MIAC) while holding down the No. 5 singles spot. In doubles, Hartmann went 21-5 (8-1 MIAC) while teaming with Baker primarily at the No. 2 position.
Aney, a sophomore, went 19-6 in singles (6-1 MIAC) while primarily playing at the No. 6 spot. In doubles, the Rochester product went 18-6 overall (7-1 MIAC) while playing at the third position. She earned the Elite 22 Award after posting a 4.0 GPA as a biology and biochemistry double major.
The Gusties will take on Wheaton College this Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Championships in Whitewater, Wis. Gustavus earned the MIAC’s automatic berth to the national tournament after earning the conference playoff title this past Saturday with a 5-0 win over Carleton College.
As part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC also announced the 10th 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 Kaity Johnson (Litchfield, Minn.).