Seven Bishops garner USA South tennis and golf awards

Fayetteville, NC - The USA South Athletic Conference has announced its All-Conference awards for tennis and golf with a total of 65 student-athletes garnering recognition. In men's tennis, North Carolina Wesleyan had four players receive accolades, highlighted by First Team selection and Rookie of the Year Antti Saari. Freshman Jaime Galasso was a Second Team women's selection, while Ryan Stugis earned Second Team honors in golf.

Saari quickly made a name for himself as a premier player in the USA South, defeating four of the top six players in the league en route to a 12-2 regular season singles mark. He also teamed with Brandon Coleman to go 10-4 at #1 doubles. Saari ended the regular season ranked 17th regionally and was named USA South Rookie of the Week on three occasions.

Teammates Matt Smith and Mike Harrison were Honorable Mention selections at the four and five seeds, respectively. Smith (8-5) and Harrison (9-5) turned in a 9-4 record at #3 doubles for the Bishops, who as a team, tallied the first winning record since 1976. Freshman Kalpesh Patel garnered USA South
All-Sportsmanship honors.

On the women's side, freshman Jaime Galasso was a bright spot for the young Bishops as she was named to the Second Team. Galasso went 11-9 overall at #1 singles, including a 5-4 record in league play. Teammate Leila Heinonen was Wesleyan's representative on the All-Sportsmanship team.

In golf, the much-improved Bishops were led by freshman Ryan Stugis. Stugis was named Rookie of the Week on one occasion during the season and turned in a team-best 78.7 stroke average en route to Second Team accolades. He recorded one top-5, two top-10, and two top-20 finishes during the regular season. He also represented Wesleyan on the All-Sportsmanship squad.

Congratulations to all seven athletes on stellar spring seasons!

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