Amanda Augustus Named Pac-12 Coach Of The Year
BERKELEY – Amanda Augustus earned her second Pac-12 Coach of the Year award and six Golden Bears – Haley Giavara, Julia Rosenqvist, Anna Bright, Jada Bui, Valentina Ivanov and Hannah Viller Moeller – claimed All-Pac-12 honors after a season in which the Cal women's tennis team won its first conference tournament championship and reached the NCAA round of 16.
Giavara, ranked 31st in singles, was named to the All-Pac-12 first team and Rosenqvist (14-8 record) earned a spot on the All-Pac-12 second team. Bright (20-3), Bui (11-7), Ivanov (11-8) and Viller Moeller (16-8) all earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention.
"I'm really honored to be recognized by my peers with this award," Augustus said. "I'm so proud of the work done by our players, coaches and everyone on our sports staff at Cal that helped us start playing in January. We're really grateful each time we get the opportunity to play."
Augustus, a decorated Cal alumna now in her 14th year as the Bears' head coach, also collected the conference coaching honor in 2014. That year – before the inception of the Pac-12 team tournament – she led Cal to its first Pac-12 title based on its regular-season record.
In this year's Pac-12 Championship tournament, Augustus coached the Bears past Oregon, 4-1, in the first round, No. 25 Stanford, 4-1, in the semifinals and top-seeded UCLA, 4-2, in the final.
In the NCAA team tournament, the Bears shut out San Jose State, 4-0, in the first round and defeated Kentucky, 4-2, in the second round at the Hellman Tennis Complex. They fell to top-seeded and top-ranked North Carolina, 4-0, in the round of 16 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida.
"I'm excited to see our entire starting singles lineup on the All-Pac-12 teams, because it's reflective of the great work they did," Augustus said. "I'm also proud of how well the team did academically this year. It's really been a team effort, and I'm proud to bring these honors back to Cal."
The postseason continues in a few days for Giavara and Ivanov at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida. A singles All-American as a freshman, Giavara (12-12) opens the NCAA Singles Championship on Sunday, and the duo of Ivanov and Giavara (13-6) starts the NCAA Doubles Championship on Monday. The NCAA will reveal the draws and match times for the individual tournaments on Saturday.