TEMPE, Ariz. – Putting a final stamp on the shortened 2020 season, officials from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) have announced the final Division II women's team national rankings of the year and the Nova Southeastern Sharks are listed among the nation's elite squads. Reaching the program's highest final ranking for the second consecutive season, the Sharks come in at No. 3 in the final standings after finishing with a 13-1 record and 4-0 mark within the dominant Sunshine State Conference (SSC) under fourth-year head coach Doug Neagle.
 
"I am so proud of this team for making history and finishing with our highest national ranking in the program's history," Neagle said. "It was a shortened season, but these ladies made the most of it with some unbelievable memories, along with rewriting the history books. The journey is what it's all about and what these players will remember. The awards, rankings and accolades are awesome, but it's the friendships, the road trips, the jokes and the training together towards one common goal that these ladies will cherish and remember their entire lives. We all know what our ultimate goal is, and I know our returners will be hungrier than ever to finish what we started. Our seniors will be missed and they all really helped put NSU Tennis on the map - I can't thank them enough. This entire team earned this final ranking and the success is all theirs. We will keep representing all our Sharks tennis players, past and present, the best we can. It's bigger than just this team. Go Sharks!"
 
Adding more evidence to the power of the Sunshine State Conference, Barry and Lynn took the top two slots in the ranking, giving the conference the nation's top three-ranked teams, along with Saint Leo at No. 8 to make it four of the top 10.
 
The Sharks opened the spring season ranked fifth nationally after a solid fall that saw strong showings in the ITA South Regional and the invited doubles pair of sophomore Natalie Espinal and senior Sarah Wardenburg charging through field in the program's first trip to the ITA Cup in Rome, Ga. to earn the program's first DII Women's Championship at the event. For their efforts, the tandem ranked No. 1 nationally in doubles and Espinal was the fourth-ranked player in the nation.
 
Though the Sharks were shorted nine regular-season matches, the body of work was impressive. NSU opened on a nine-match win streak and shut out 9-of-14 opponents on the year. Traveling to Edmond, Okla. for the ITA DII Indoor National Championships, NSU finished third after dropping a hotly-contested 4-2 setback to three-time defending National Champion Barry on the neutral court – the Sharks' lone loss of the season. In that tournament, NSU downed No. 3 Columbus State and No. 6 Saint Leo for a pair of the squad's five nationally-ranked wins in 2020.
 
Also in the ITA's announcement, the latest national rankings will remain in place with Espinal at No. 4 in DII singles and Espinal/Wardenburg at No. 1 in doubles. The association released updated rankings in their final Regional standings – the Sharks are well represented.
 
In South Region singles, Espinal comes in at No. 4 after going 7-2 on the year and 2-1 versus nationally-ranked players. Joining the rankings on the heels of an 11-0 debut season at NSU, redshirt junior Karolina Snita finishes at No. 7 while splitting time between the top two flights for the Sharks. Senior Daniela Obando ranks 16th with a 6-2 record.
 
In South Region doubles, the tandem of Espinal and Wardenburg sits at the head of the group with an 8-1 record, going 1-0 against nationally-ranked pairs.
 
The ITA will announce its All-America times at a later date and the Sharks could see as many as three singles and one doubles receive accolades in that announcement. After the semester, NSU also looks forward to seeing more Sharks among the ITA Scholar-Athlete honors after three on last year's listing.
 
To keep up with the Sharks on social media, please follow @NSU_WTennis on Twitter and Instagram, and /NSUSharksWTennis on Facebook.