Falcons Fill All-NACC Teams; Sweep Major Honors
MEQUON, Wis. – The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference announced its All-Conference Teams and major award winners for the 2023 women's tennis season on Wednesday morning. The back-to-back NACC champion Falcons swept the major awards with Ricki Budewitz repeating as the NACC Player of the Year, Steve Anschutz repeating as the NACC Coaching Staff of the Year and Sofia Buhr named the NACC Freshman of the Year.
The Falcons posted a perfect 9-0 record in the NACC and went 77-4 overall. The Blue and White were honored with five named to the All-NACC Singles Team and four on the All-NACC Doubles Team.
The five All-NACC Singles Team honors are tied for the second most in program history with the 2021 team. 2015 saw all six honored.
This is the second time in program history that the Falcons have swept all three major honors. The other being the 2009-10 season.
Steve Anschutz & Alejandro Martinez Dura
This is the sixth time in program history that the Concordia Wisconsin coaching staff has claimed the honor. Head Coach Steve Anschutz is claiming the honor for the second-straight season and for the sixth time in his storied career. He has proven himself as the best in the conference on five different occasions with the women's team and once with the men's team.
A sensational senior from Watertown, Wisconsin, Ricki Budewitz is claiming her third major award from the NACC. She was voted as the NACC Player of the Year for the second-consecutive year and was also the 2018 NACC Freshman of the Year. The Wisconsin native is making her historic sixth All-NACC Singles Team appearance. This is the sixth time a Falcon has claimed the honor and the first Falcon to repeat since Erin Henrich did so in 2006, 2007 and 2009. At No. 1 singles, Budewitz truly bullied the NACC with a 9-0 record. She never dropped a set and only lost 14 games in the NACC season.
A fantastic freshman from Blumenau, Brazil, Sofia Buhr is making her first All-NACC Team and is the fourth Falcon to be voted as the NACC Freshman of the Year. Buhr bounced all nine of her NACC opponents at No. 3 singles on the year. She posted perfect 6-0 6-0 victories over Illinois Tech, Marian, Alverno and Lakeland. Buhr also did not drop a set in her freshman tour of the conference.
An astonishing senior from Cedarburg, Wisconsin, Mia Andrae is securing her third appearance on the All-NACC Singles Team. Andrae overwhelmed her NACC counterparts at No. 5 with an 8-1 record. She swept her matches against Illinois Tech and Alverno.
A magnificent senior from Neenah, Wisconsin, Mallory Moen is making her fourth-straight All-NACC Singles Team. At No. 4 singles, Moen mowed down her opponents with a perfect 9-0 record. She only dropped one set on the year and swept away Concordia Chicago, Alverno and Lakeland.
A spectacular senior from Glen Ellyn, Illinois, Ashley Samuta snagged her fourth-straight appearance on the All-NACC Singles Team. The Illinois native posted a perfect 9-0 record at No. 2 singles for the Falcons. She only dropped on set on the year, but rallied to tip Edgewood for the NACC Regular Season crown.
Ricki Budewitz & Ashley Samuta
The dynamic duo of Ricki Budewitz and Ashley Samuta dominated the conference at No. 1 doubles with a perfect 9-0 record. The team brought fear throughout the NACC and kept Illinois Tech, Marian, Concordia Chicago, Edgewood, Alverno, Lakeland and MSOE all at three points or under, with no team getting closer than five. This is the fourth time that these two earned All-NACC honors in doubles play together.
The tremendous team of Mia Andrae and Mallory Moen are back on the All-NACC Team for doubles play for the second-straight year. This is the third-straight year that Mallory Moen has claimed the honor. The senior squad posted a 7-1 record at No. 2 singles.
Rounding out the All-NACC Singles Team was Cecile Fuchs, Jewel Lindwall and Evelyn Taylor of Edgewood, Ashley Dame of Illinois Tech, Olivia Heling of Lakeland and Katelynn Haskell and Jena Smith of Wisconsin Lutheran. Edgewood had two All-Doubles selections with the team of Fuchs and Taylor and Lindwall and Maddy Coopmans. Illinois Tech had Hannah Markiewicz and Sofia Zaballa Martinez and WLC had Katelynn Haskell and Jena Smith.
