May 17, 2004

WACO, Texas - Two Baylor freshmen have received regional honors the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) recently announced. Women's player Carolin Walter was named the Southwest Region's Player to Watch and Matija Zgaga earned men's South Central Region ITA Rookie of the Year. Regional winners are candidates for the national awards. National award winners will be announced May 23 (women) and May 26 (men).

Zgaga, who hails from Maribor, Slovenia, became the third Baylor men's player to earn Regional Rookie of the Year honors, Zoltan Papp was the 2000 winner and Benjamin Becker was the 2002 honoree. Zgaga sports a 30-6 singles record and is 20-10 in doubles. He is currently ranked No. 113 nationally in singles and is No. 20 in doubles paired with Benedikt Dorsch. The freshman was named All-Big 12 in both singles and doubles and has been selected to play in the NCAA Doubles Championships with Benedikt Dorsch. In addition, Zgaga anchors the No. 4 position for the second-ranked Baylor team that is the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tennis Championships. The Bears, 28-2, have advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 for the fifth time and third straight. They will face 14th-ranked Rice on Sat., May 22 at 9 a.m. in Tulsa, Okla.

The ITA Player to Watch Award, which Walter received, goes to a player who has an outstanding season and is expected to perform at a high level the rest of his or her career. The award's criteria also includes a player's sportsmanship and character. Walter, from Bingen, Germany, played every match for Baylor at No. 1 singles and doubles this season. She amassed a 25-10 season record in singles and was 14-9 in dual match competition. In doubles she posted a 15-13 season record. Walter recently became the first underclassman from the women's program to be selected for the NCAA Singles Championships. Singles competition will begin on Monday, May 24 on the campus of the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga.