Bowling Green State University tennis coach Penny Dean has announced that Avon Lake’s Christine Chiricosta has been named team captain for the 2010-11 season.

"I am proud of Christine," Dean said. "She is a natural leader, and has been such an important part of this team for over three years. She is more than deserving of being named team captain."

Chiricosta is entering her second year as the Falcons’ top singles player, after playing at the No. 2 flight during her freshman and sophomore season. She has played at the No. 1 doubles flight in every year at BGSU.

On the court, Chiricosta currently has a total of 139 combined victories, including 70 singles wins and 69 doubles wins, at BGSU. She is tied for ninth on the BG career list for total wins, and ranks 10th in doubles victories and 12th in singles wins. Chiricosta is within striking distance of the BGSU career records (81 singles wins, 84 doubles wins, 153 combined wins) in all three categories.

Chiricosta was chosen to the All-Mid-American Conference First Team last season, after being named to the All-MAC Second Team as both a freshman and a sophomore.

Off the court, Chiricosta has a perfect 4.00 cumulative grade point average in the classroom, as an adolescent/young adult/secondary education major. The first student-athlete in BGSU women’s tennis history to be named an ESPN Academic All-American, she has earned that honor in each of the last two seasons. Chiricosta was named to the ESPN Academic All-America Third Team as a sophomore, and earned second-team accolades as a junior.

swalker@MorningJournal.com