Capra Named ACC Player and Freshman of the Year

DURHAM, N.C. - Duke freshman Beatrice Capra has been selected as the 2012 Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Year and the ACC Freshman of the Year, as announced Thursday by Commissioner John Swofford. Capra also headlines the Blue Devils' league-high four selections to the 2012 All-ACC Team - the second year in a row in which Duke has led the conference.

Ranked second nationally, Duke (22-2), which finished first in the ACC with a 11-0 conference record and earned the No. 1 seed for this week's ACC Championship in Cary, N.C., led all schools with four student-athletes voted to the All-ACC team. Alongside Capra, 2011 ACC Freshman of the Year Rachel Kahan was selected for the second year in a row, as well as sophomore Hanna Mar and freshman Ester Goldfeld.

The nation's second-ranked player, Capra is 24-3 overall this season, and owns an 18-1 mark in dual matches and a 9-0 record in ACC play. Perhaps most impressive of all is the Ellicott City, Md., native's 15-3 record against ranked opponents. In doubles, the newcomer owns a 28-8 overall record and an 18-5 mark in dual matches. Capra and Kahan, the nation's 27th-ranked unit, have posted a 16-5 overall record and are 6-2 against ranked doubles teams.

Capra, a five-time ACC Player of the Week, becomes the fourth women's tennis player - and the third from Duke - to be named both the ACC Player of the Year and the ACC Freshman of the Year in the same season since the latter award was established in 1994. Ansley Cargill (2001) and Karin Miller (1997) are the other former Blue Devils to accomplish the feat.

Kahan, a Unionville, Conn., native, is 19-5 this season, owns a 16-3 record in dual singles matches, and posted an 8-1 mark in ACC play this season. After posting a 31-1 record in dual singles and a perfect 11-0 record in ACC matches as a freshman in 2011, Kahan carried a 31-match dual singles winning streak into 2012, and extended that run to a school-record 34 straight to begin the season. The sophomore also has a 20-6 doubles record this season, including an impressive 18-4 mark in dual matches.

A product of Burr Ridge, Ill., Mar currently ranks second on the team with 26 singles victories this season on her way to earning her first All-ACC selection. Currently ranked No. 49 in the latest ITA poll, Mar posted a 13-4 record in dual singles, while defeating seven ranked opponents. In doubles, the sophomore is 29-10 overall, 17-5 in dual matches and had a 7-3 ledger in ACC play.

Goldfeld, one of just two freshmen selected to the All-ACC team, holds an impressive 23-8 overall record in her first season at Duke, including a 15-3 mark in dual singles and a 6-2 standing in ACC play. Ranked No. 111, the Brooklyn, N.Y., native was 8-2 playing at the No. 2 spot in the lineup and defeated five ranked opponents. In doubles, Goldfeld is 25-12 overall and comprises the nation's 23rd-ranked doubles team with junior Mary Clayton.

After earning the No. 1 seed in next weekend's ACC Tournament, the Blue Devils receive a first-round bye and will play Friday, Apr. 21 at 9 a.m., against the winner of Thursday's match between the eighth-seeded Boston College and ninth-seeded N.C. State. The ACC Tournament will be held at the Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C.

2012 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Tennis Team

Erina Kikuchi, Senior, Boston College

Keri Wong, Senior, Clemson***

Klara Vyskocilova, Sophomore, Clemson

Beatrice Capra, Freshman, Duke

Ester Goldfeld, Freshman, Duke

Rachel Kahan, Sophomore, Duke**

Hanna Mar, Sophomore, Duke

Jillian O'Neill, Senior, Georgia Tech **

Cristina Stancu, Sophomore, Maryland

Anna Bartenstein, Senior, Miami***

Gabriela Mateus, Senior, Miami