Among the 96 individuals that earned 2019 Intercollegiate Tennis Association NCAA Division I All-American honors was sophomore Katarina Jokic, junior Marta Gonzalez and freshman Lourdes Carle of the Georgia women’s tennis program, announced Thursday.
The criteria for ITA All-America honors include earning a top 16 seed into the NCAA Singles Championship, advancing to the round of 16 at the NCAA Championship or finishing in the top 20 of the final Oracle/ITA Singles Rankings. All-America recognition is awarded to doubles teams that earn a top eight seed into the NCAA Championship, reach the NCAA Championship quarterfinals or finish in the top 10 in the final Oracle/ITA National Doubles Rankings.
Jokic, of Novi Grad, Bosnia, covered all three requirements for her second-straight singles All-America honor. Meanwhile, Gonzalez and Carle earned their first-career All-America accolade. In her first appearance in the NCAA Singles Championships, Gonzalez, of Madrid, Spain, was seeded in the top 16 to garner the honors. Jokic and Carle advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Doubles Championships, giving Carle her award and Jokic her second of the season.
This marks the 15th time Georgia has had at least three All-Americans in one year. Georgia now has 38 All-Americans with 111 total honors.
With her 2018 ITA Singles All-America honor, Jokic now has three total, becoming the 19th player in program history to have at least that number. Her remarkable sophomore campaign featured two grand slam singles appearances, including a singles title at the ITA National Fall Championships. Jokic was named NCAA All-Tournament Team No. 1 singles after leading the Bulldogs to their first NCAA Championship appearance since 2000.
In Gonzalez’s junior season, she compiled 24 wins, including 13 ranked wins – both career bests. She was named First Team All-SEC and made appearances in both grand slam singles championships.
The Bulldogs’ No. 1 doubles team of Jokic and Carle really turned it on at the end of the season, defeating eight ranked squads in their last 12 matches. Jokic and Carle finished with the No. 11 doubles ranking after reaching the quarterfinals of the NCAA Doubles Championships. The Georgia duo’s final win was against then No. 2-ranked Jessie Aney and Alexa Graham of North Carolina. The Georgia duo had a 14-8 overall record with nine total ranked wins.