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WTEN: Aysegul Mert and Dasha Vidmanova win NCAA Doubles National Championship
The duo of Aysegul Mert and Dasha Vidmanova etched their names in Georgia women’s tennis history, winning the NCAA Doubles National Championship after knocking off the No. 1 ranked tandem of Savannah Broadus and Janice Tjen (Pepperdine), 7-6(4), 2-6, (11-9), at the Greenwood Tennis Center on Saturday.
Fast Facts
• Aysegul Mert and Dasha Vidmanova became the first Bulldog tandem in Georgia women’s tennis history to be crowned NCAA Doubles National Champions.
• Anastasiia Lopata’s epic run in the NCAA Singles Tournament came to an end just one match short, falling in the national championship match 6-4, 5-7, 3-6 to No. 8 Alexa Noel (Miami). Lopata became the lowest ranked player to ever reach the NCAA Singles Final.
• The three-set thriller marks the highest-ranked doubles victory for the first-year pair, capping off a tournament run that saw Mert and Vidmanova upset three top-10 ranked pairings (No. 3 Guzman/Shcherbinina (OU), No. 5-8 Komac/Sayfetdinova (Texas Tech), No. 1 Broadus/Tjen (Pepperdine).
• Aysegul Mert and Dasha Vidmanova (doubles) join elite company alongside Lisa Spain (singles), Angela Lettiere (singles), and Chelsey Gullickson (singles) as the only players in Georgia women’s tennis history to win NCAA individual titles.
• Aysegul Mert becomes the first Bulldog in Georgia women’s tennis history to win an NCAA individual title (singles or doubles) as a freshman.
Key Quotes
Junior Dasha Vidmanova: “I didn’t know it was the first one but obviously it means a lot. Just the opportunity to play for Georgia in any way we can. It’s a big honor and I’m really happy we could do it. Ays [Aysegul Mert] is just a freshman but I think she did a great job the whole year. It just means a lot.”
Freshman Aysegul Mert: “Representing this school means a lot itself, and especially winning titles for each other and for the school, nothing can really replace it. I’m glad I had a partner like Dasha who helped me, especially in tough matches. In matches where I was nervous and tired, I had no idea what to do in tough situations and she helped me a lot. I don’t think it would be possible if I didn’t have her.”
Up Next
Georgia finally caps off its 2024 season and its first year in the Drake Bernstein era. The Bulldogs finished the year as Co-Southeastern Conference Regular Season Champions, SEC Tournament Champions and NCAA Tournament Finalists. Individually, Anastasiia Lopata finished her sophomore season an NCAA Singles Finalists while Aysegul Mert and Dasha Vidmanova were crowned NCAA Doubles Champions.
T/F: Bulldogs take regional titles at the NCAA East Prelims
Aaliyah Butler (400-meter dash), Elena Kulichenko (high jump), and the 4×400-meter relay team of Butler, Kimberly Harris, Sydney Harris, and Haley Tate all took home regional titles at the NCAA East Prelims on Saturday as the Georgia women’s track and field team qualified eight more individuals and two relays for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Over two days of competition, the Lady Bulldogs compiled 14 qualifications from 14 athletes. Stephanie Ratcliffe (hammer), Kelsie Murrell-Ross (shot put), and Erin McMeniman (javelin) all punched their tickets to Eugene, Ore., on Thursday while Ella Rush earned the automatic qualifier to Nationals as one of the top-24 heptathletes in the country.
For results throughout the weekend from the NCAA East Prelims, please visit: https://gado.gs/bx7
Fast Facts
- The 4×400-meter relay quartet of Butler, Kimberly Harris, Sydney Harris, and Tate cruised to the regional title with a time of 3:26.06, breaking their own school record. The time ranks 11th in collegiate history while also setting a University of Kentucky facility record.
- Butler took the regional crown in the 400-meter dash with a facility record of 50.30. The sophomore, who placed fourth in the event at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships, will be joined by Kimberly Harris, who placed eighth with a time of 51.54 while running the second-fastest time in her heat.
- Kulichenko only needed two jumps to qualify for Nationals, recording a top jump of 1.84 meters/6 feet, 0.50 inches to tie for first place. The reigning SEC champion will compete in her third-straight outdoor championship as she looks to build on her third-place performance at the NCAA Indoor Championships earlier this season.
- Mikeisha Welcome placed third in the triple jump with a season-best mark of 13.27m/43-6.50 to advance to Oregon. The 2024 NCAA indoor bronze medalist in the triple jump will look for another scoring opportunity when she competes in Eugene in two weeks.
- Kaila Jackson qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in both the 100m and 200m. The sophomore placed fourth in the 200m (22.43) and tied for fifth in the 100m (11.03). Jackson will head to the outdoor championship meet for the second time in two years, where she finished fourth in the 100m in 2023.
- The 4x100m relay team of Jackson, Kimberly Harris, Karsen Phillips, and Butler crossed the finish line with the fourth-fastest time in the Georgia history (43.45) to place fifth and punch their ticket to nationals.
- Zoe Pollock and Dominique Mustin both secured top-12 positions in the 400m hurdles to advance to the outdoor championships. Pollock ran a personal-best 56.39 to finish fifth while improving her No. 3 time in program history. Mustin crossed the finish line in 12th place with a time of 56.81 to join her teammate in Eugene.
- Rush automatically qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the heptathlon with her No. 21 national rank in the event.
Up Next
Georgia’s men’s and women’s track and field teams will conclude the 2024 season at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., from June 5-8. The site will also play host to the U.S. Olympic Trials later that month, which will run from June 21-30 at the Hayward Field facility.
2023 season opener photos – Georgia vs. UT Martin
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