SEWARD, Neb. – David DeSimone has only been on the job since February yet has already picked up the first major honor of his young coaching career. On Monday (May 6), the conference named DeSimone the 2019 Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year. In addition, the entire Concordia lineup collected all-conference recognition as the postseason honors rolled in. The GPAC all-conference teams are separated by singles and doubles.
On the singles All-GPAC team, senior Marlene Maier (Uppsala, Sweden), sophomore Claudia Miranda Viera (Madrid, Spain), junior Kirsten Wagner (York, Neb.), sophomore Allison Marshall (Woodbury, Minn.) and junior Angela Bell (Peoria, Ariz.) each represented the Bulldogs. Senior Katelinn Wurm (Bradenton, Fla.) was tabbed honorable mention all-conference in singles. In doubles, the duo of Maier and Miranda Viera landed on the All-GPAC team. The combos of Marshall and Wagner and Bell and junior Lindee Schultz (Hastings, Neb.) were honorable mention selections.
A transfer from Alcorn State University, Maier made an immense impact in her one and only season at Concordia. She went 17-3 in singles (6-1 GPAC) while starring at the top of the lineup. She was named the GPAC Player of the Week on March 27. Two of Maier’s three defeats came against Hastings’ Kelsey Brown, the GPAC Player of the Year. Maier and Brown battled into three sets in the GPAC tournament championship match. Maier also went 11-9 in doubles (4-3 vs. the GPAC).
Marshall (7-0) and Wagner (6-0) put together perfect singles records versus conference opponents. Wagner was honored for her work at No. 4 singles while Marshall played at No. 5. Bell, who went 12-3 overall in singles, posted a 5-1 GPAC mark, and competed mostly at the No. 6 spot. The tandem of Maier and Miranda Viera collaborated on a 3-1 record against conference opponents.
DeSimone jumped into the fray this season while working with graduate assistants Nikita Kostikov and Javier Moreno. The result was a 15-6 overall record that set a new program standard for wins in a single season. The 2019 squad also was the program’s first to reach the GPAC championship match since 2011.