FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Kicking off her second campaign with a bang, Nova Southeastern women's tennis sophomore
Natalie Espinal joins partner senior
Sarah Wardenburg in making even more history for the Sharks. The NSU tandem will be competing at the 2019 ITA Cup in Rome, Georgia next week as the first representatives of the program at the 33-year-old national elite event.
"This is a prestigious tournament where only 16 singles players and 16 doubles teams in the country are invited," fourth-year head coach
Doug Neagle said. "For us to have a singles player and a doubles team speaks volumes for the direction of our program. I am very proud of Natty and Sarah for getting the invite and our entire team deserves credit for this. Everyone is working hard, having fun, and supporting each other."
Making the debut appearance for a Sharks player at the event, the ITA Cup will run Oct. 17-20 at the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College in Rome, Georgia and the field is representative of the best players in the nation, including each Regional champion and selected at-large performers. Student-athletes will receive an opportunity to qualify for the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships, where they will compete in the same tournament as the nation's top Division I players.
The reigning Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) South Region Rookie of the Year, Espinal made a formidable showing at the ITA NCAA Division II South Region Championships last month. Tabbed as the No. 4 singles seed heading into the tournament, Espinal (Tegucigalpa, Honduras) reached the singles final on the heels of a groundbreaking 6-4, 6-0 victory over the nation's No. 1 player, Berta Bonardi – proving her merit as an ITA Cup selection with a 5-1 singles tournament performance.
Culminating an absolutely phenomenal rookie year, Espinal earned a final ITA singles ranking of 26th nationally after delivering a 20-5 record in her first year as a Shark, also garnering Sunshine State Conference (SSC) Freshman of the Year with nods on the All-SSC singles first team and doubles second team with Wardenburg.
In addition, Wardenburg (Waikato, New Zealand) and Espinal were dubbed the No. 2 doubles pair at ITA South Region last month, battling their way into the quarterfinal. Last season, the duo logged a 19-4 record together in first and second flight appearances, ending the year at 26th nationally in the final ITA rankings.
Formerly known as the Small College Nationals, the ITA Cup has history dating back to 1986, and it is the only singles and doubles national championship event for the Division II and NAIA levels. This year, more then 8,000 players will take part in a total of 60 regional tournaments to gain entry into the ITA Cup field.
Each division represented will feature between eight and sixteen singles players and eight to sixteen doubles teams, competing in their respective draws.