PRINCETON, N.J.—Three Columbia women’s tennis players—senior Akanksha Bhan (Second Team), sophomore Anna Zhang (Second Team singles), and senior Melissa Sakar (Academic All-Ivy)—earned Women’s Tennis All-Ivy League accolades, the conference office announced on Thursday afternoon.
A senior co-captain from Gujarat, India, Bhan earns her third All-Ivy League honor in her career. In her three-year career at No. 1 singles, Bhan has totaled a 49-31 overall record as a nationally ranked player the majority of her career. This year, she has played one of the toughest singles schedules in school history and finished 12-17, along with a 3-9 record vs. nationally ranked opponents. She was a combined 10-20 in doubles this year. In 2019, she became the first player in school history to advance to the Main Draw of the ITA All-American. She was named the 2019 ITA Northeast Region Player to Watch and in 2020, was a Second Team All-Ivy League honoree as both a singles and doubles player. Bhan, who is majoring in Economics and will graduate in May, will continue her academic and tennis career at Ohio State University in their MBA program.
Zhang, a sophomore from McKinney, Texas, played the majority of the season at the No. 2 singles position. She finished the year with a 14-11 overall record, 11-7 in dual matches, 2-2 in Ivy League play, and 10-7 at the No. 2 singles position. In doubles, she combined for a 12-13 overall record, including 8-9 with Bhan and 6-4 with teammate Winta Tewolde. Zhang is attending Columbia College.
Sakar, a senior co-captain from Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., is named Academic All-Ivy League for the first time in her career. While playing primarily at the No. 2, 3, and 4 singles positions, Sakar has a 57-21 career singles record. As a sophomore she led the Lions with a 21-2 record and went 20-9 as a first-year. This year, Sakar accumulated a 16-10 overall record, went 12-4 in dual matches and led the Lions with a 6-1 in Ivy League record. Sakar will graduate in May with a degree in Earth Institute/Sustainable Development and will continue her academic and tennis career next year at the University of Washington in their MBA program.
Columbia concluded its regular season with a 13-11 overall record and 3-4 slate in the Ivy League. The Lions went 3-7 vs. nationally ranked teams and played possibly the most challenging schedule in the sport’s history.
ALL-IVY LEAGUE WOMEN’S TENNIS SELECTIONS
COACH OF THE YEAR
Laura Granville, Princeton
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Chelsea Kung, Yale
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Neha Velaga, Princeton
SINGLES FIRST-TEAM ALL-IVY
Lan Mi, Cornell*
Iuliia Bryzgalova, Penn*
Daria Frayman, Princeton*
Chelsea Kung, Yale*
Neha Velaga, Princeton
Brittany Lau, Brown
SINGLES SECOND-TEAM ALL-IVY
Akanksha Bhan, Columbia
Sabine Rutlauka, Penn
Victoria Hu, Princeton
Chidimma Okpara, Dartmouth
Maxi Duncan, Harvard
Anna Zhang, Columbia
DOUBLES FIRST-TEAM ALL-IVY
Iuliia Bryzgalova/Marija Curnic, Penn*
Lauren Stein/Jenny Wong, Cornell*
Brittany Lau/Addison Ahlstrom, Brown*
DOUBLES SECOND-TEAM ALL-IVY
Elizabeth Fahrmeier/Katie Weber, Dartmouth
Grace Joyce/Maia Sung, Princeton
Chelsea Kung/Jessie Gong, Yale
*Unanimous selection
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