Big South Announces 2024 Women's Tennis Annual Award Winners
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (
www.BigSouthSports.com) -- UNC Asheville’s
Linge Steenkamp (Bloemfontein, South Africa) has been voted the Big South Conference Women’s Tennis Player of the Year by the league’s head coaches, it was announced today by the conference office. Asheville head coach
Lise Gregory was voted Coach of the Year, the Bulldogs’
Alexis Nyborg (Moreland Hills, Ohio) was voted Freshman of the Year by the group and Charleston Southern’s
Jessica Braun (Canton, Mich.) was tabbed Newcomer of the Year. Gardner-Webb’s
Emilia Roslund (Lund, Sweden) was voted Women’s Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the Big South’s Sports Information Directors.
Steenkamp becomes the second consecutive Bulldog to win Player of the Year honors. She went 13-4 overall at No. 1 singles and a perfect 5-0 in conference, while going 11-2 at No. 1 doubles with Ari Siegel including 2-0 in conference. A three-time Player of the Week honoree in 2024, Steenkamp led Asheville to a second consecutive Big South regular-season championship.
Nyborg is the second consecutive Bulldog and third since 2019 to be voted Freshman of the Year. She went 14-3 at No. 3 singles, including 4-1 in conference. Nyborg was also three-time Big South Conference Freshman of the Week selection this season.
Gregory earns her second-straight Big South Coach of the Year award, and third overall. She led Asheville to its second consecutive outright Big South Conference regular-season championship -- which have been back-to-back undefeated campaigns in conference play (6-0 in 2023, 5-0 in 2024). It is the second time in program history that UNC Asheville has posted back-to-back Coach of the Year selections. The Bulldogs are the No. 1 seed in this weekend’s Big South Women’s Tennis Championship, and are seeking their first Big South Tournament crown since 1989 and fourth overall.
Braun is the first Big South Women’s Tennis Newcomer of the Year, which recognizes the top non-freshman transfer playing in the Big South for the first time. She joined Charleston Southern as a grad transfer this season after a four-year career at Ball State. Braun finished 2024 with a singles mark of 10-5 as the primary topflight player for the Bucs. She boasted a 7-3 mark on the No. 1 court and had a 3-2 record on the No. 2. In doubles, she paired with three different partners to collect seven wins on the year with the most coming at the No. 1 position. Currently, she has totaled 112 career victories with over 50 each in singles and doubles each across her five years of collegiate tennis.
Roslund owns a 3.98 GPA as a management major. She has earned multiple All-Conference honors during her career, and finished the 2024 regular-season 10-5 in singles (8-0 at No. 2) along with seven wins on the No. 1 doubles court.
2024 Big South Conference Women's Tennis Award Winners
First Team All-Conference Singles
Linge Steenkamp, UNC Asheville
Noa Boyd, Charleston Southern
Claudia Sanchez, Presbyterian College
Jessica Braun, Charleston Southern
Amila Jusufbegovic, Charleston Southern
Emma Shasteen, Gardner-Webb
First Team All-Conference Doubles
Ari Siegel / Linge Steenkamp, UNC Asheville
Noa Boyd / Jessica Braun, Charleston Southern
Angelina Joy Hug / Rosie Dickson, UNC Asheville
Emma Shasteen / Emilia Roslund, Gardner-Webb
Second Team All-Conference Singles
Alexis Nyborg, UNC Asheville
Emilia Roslund, Gardner-Webb
Michaela Stephens, Radford
Feline van Eijkelenburg, Longwood
Louise Booker, UNC Asheville
Angelina Joy Hug, UNC Asheville
Second Team All-Conference Doubles
McKenzie Davis / Mathilde Delaney, Presbyterian College
Oriana Izarra / Feline van Eijkelenburg, Longwood
Lucianna Piedra / Madison Dennett, Presbyterian College
Claudia Sanchez / Valentine De Sousa, Presbyterian College
All-Academic Team
Marina Skegro, Charleston Southern
Emilia Roslund, Gardner-Webb
Nina Hederich, Longwood
McKenzie Davis, Presbyterian
Emily Brandow, Radford
Rosie Dickson, UNC Asheville
Player of the Year
Linge Steenkamp, UNC Asheville
Freshman of the Year
Alexis Nyborg, UNC Asheville
Coach of the Year
Lise Gregory, UNC Asheville
Newcomer of the Year
Jessica Braun, Charleston Southern
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Emilia Roslund, Gardner-Webb