Avon Lake’s Christine Chiricosta has been named the Mid-American Conference’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week. The announcement was made by the conference office Friday. Chiricosta earned the award for the second time this season and the fifth time in her career.

Chiricosta helped Bowling Green post a pair of 4-3 victories in conference action last weekend. The Falcons downed Eastern Michigan on Friday and Toledo last Saturday at the Perrysburg Center.

Chiricosta went 2-0 at the top singles flight, losing a total of just five games in her four overall sets. She teamed with teammate Maddy Eccleston for a 1-1 doubles record at the top flight, with the lone loss coming by an 8-6 score.

That loss came in the EMU match, and Chiricosta then dropped the first game of her singles match. But, she then reeled off wins in 12 consecutive games for a 6-1, 6-0 win at the top singles flight.

Then, on Senior Day, BGSU’s lone senior won both of her matches in the Falcons’ victory over Toledo. She teamed with Eccleston for a win at the top doubles flight, then picked up a 6-4, 6-0 win at the number-one singles flight.

In the classroom, Chiricosta has a perfect 4.00 cumulative grade point average as an adolescent/young adult/secondary education major. The first student-athlete in BGSU women’s tennis history to be named an Academic All-American, she earned that honor as both a sophomore and a junior.

On the court, Chiricosta holds all three of BGSU’s career wins records, with 176 total victories (88 singles, 88 doubles).

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Avon Lake’s Christine Chiricosta continues to break records in her senior season at Bowling Gree. Chiricosta and teammate Maddy Eccleston each won at both singles and doubles vs. Ball State, leading the Falcons to a 6-1 win over Ball State University Saturday afternoon at the Perrysburg Tennis Center.

Chiricosta, who already held the BGSU career records for singles wins and combined wins, teamed up with Eccleston for an 8-3 victory at the top doubles flight, moving into sole possession of first place on the doubles list as well. Chiricosta now has 85 career doubles wins, breaking the mark of 84 originally set by Jenny Cheung (1995-98).

Chiricosta made quick work of Georgina Thomson at the top singles flight, increasing her career totals to 85 singles wins and 170 overall victories at BGSU. The senior co-captain did not lose a single game in her sweep of Thomson.

Christine now has 21 singles wins and 21 doubles wins this season to date ... in her career, she has 85 singles victories and 85 doubles wins.

Eccleston and freshmen Nikki Chiricosta (Christine’s sister) and Emily Reuland each won their respective singles matches in two sets.

In third-flight action, Hill and Nikki also won by an 8-4 score, topping Ball State’s Sarah Hebble and Lauren Pickrel.

With the victory, the Falcons improved to 11-5 overall and 2-2 in MAC matches on the season. The Cardinals dropped to 6-12 and 0-4, respectively.

While Christine has broken all three BGSU career wins records, Nikki currently tops the Falcons in wins this season, combining for 44 wins in just her freshman season. That total ties her for seventh on the school’s records list.

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Avon Lake’s Christine Chiricosta became the winningest player in Bowling Green tennis history in the Falcons’ win over Butler.

Chiricosta posted a win at the top singles flight, in the process becoming the winningest player in BGSU tennis history. Chiricosta now has a combined career total of 154 wins as a Falcon, breaking the record of 153 set by Deidee Bissinger (1997-2000).

Chiricosta and her doubles partner, sophomore Maddy Eccleston, battled the Bulldogs’ Stephanie McLoughlin and Gabrelle Rubenstein through a tight match at the top flight, before the BU duo came out on top by the narrow score of 9-8.

In singles play, Chiricosta battled Natali Jaimes through a two-hour, 40-minute match. Jaimes took the opening set by a 4-6 score, but Chiricosta battled back to take a 7-5 win in the second set and a 6-4 verdict in the third. The win moved her past Bissinger onto the top of the BGSU record list.

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Avon Lake’s sisters Christine and Nikki Chiricosta, and the rest of Bowling Green’s tennis team returns to action this weekend, heading to Louisville, Ky., for a pair of dual matches as the ‘spring’ portion of the season begins. The Falcons will face the University of Louisville today, and then have a match against West Virginia University on Saturday.

The Falcons had a successful fall schedule, competing in a total of four non-scored tournaments. BGSU players had a combined record of 61-24 in singles and an aggregate 28-13 doubles mark during the fall schedule.

Christine, a senior, is expected to play at the top singles and doubles flights again this spring. She went 11-2 in singles action in the fall, and teamed with sophomore Maddy Eccleston for a doubles ledger of 8-4.

Christine had a total of 20 wins in the fall, second on the team behind only her sister Nikki. Christine had 21 victories, going a team-best 12-2 in singles and posting a 9-4 doubles mark.

Following this weekend’s matches, the Falcons will return to Northwest Ohio to begin the home portion of the dual schedule. BGSU will face Cleveland State on Friday evening, Jan. 28. That match will begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Perrysburg Tennis Center.
Stay tuned for updates.

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Avon Lake’s Nikki Chiricosta won the back draw of her singles flight on Sunday (Oct. 24), as Bowling Green completed play in the three-day ITA Second Chance.

Nikki picked up a pair of singles wins, losing a combined total of just seven games in her four sets. She topped a pair of NIU players, downing both Kelly Phillips and Haley Dekkinga en route to the consolation-round title.

Senior Christine Chiricosta and sophomore Mary Hill also picked up victories in singles action. Christine defeated Chicago State’s Peggy Moore, losing only three total games.

With three total wins on the weekend, Christine is moving closer to multiple school records. Christine ends the fall portion of the schedule with 75 singles wins in her career. She is now tied for seventh place on that BGSU career list, and is just six wins away from matching the school record of 81 singles victories.

Christine now has 73 doubles victories, tying her for fourth in school history. The school record is 84.

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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.

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Avon Lake’s Christine Chiricosta was named to the 2010 ESPN The Magazine Women’s At-Large Academic All-America Team for the second-straight year.

Last year, Chiricosta was chosen to the third team, at the time becoming the first women’s tennis player in Bowling Green history to be named an Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Chiricosta was named to the All-Mid-American Conference First Team last season, after earning all-conference second-team honors in each of her first two years at BGSU. She she had an overall singles record of 22-9 in 2009-’10, leading the team in wins. Chiricosta had a 15-7 record in dual matches, having played at the No. 1 flight in all 22 of Bowling Green’s duals this spring, and went 5-3 in MAC regular-season action.

In doubles, Chiricosta finished with an overall record of 21-9, including a 16-6 mark in dual-match play. She teamed with freshman Maddy Eccleston at the top flight for every dual match, going 6-2 in MAC contests.

Chiricosta’s total of 43 victories last season led the team, and tied her for 10th in Bowling Green history.

Entering her senior season, Chiricosta has a combined career total of 128 wins, with 64 singles and 64 doubles victories. She moved into 12th place on the Bowling Green doubles wins list, and is tied for 12th in overall wins and deadlocked for 14th in career singles wins. Chiricosta is within striking distance of all three school records.

Chiricosta was named the MAC’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week three times last season. Last year, she was named an ITA Scholar Athlete for the second-straight year, and was also chosen to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Third Team.

Avon Lake’s Christine Chiricosta was selected to the Academic All-Mid-American Conference Women’s Tennis Team for the second-straight season at Bowling Green.

Chiricosta was also named to the All-MAC First Team after earning all-conference second team her first two years at BG. She had an overall singles record of 22-9, which led the team in wins. She also had a 15-7 record in dual play, in which she plays at No. 1 flight in all 22 of BG’s duals this season, while also going 5-3 in MAC play.

In doubles, Chiricosta is 21-9, including a 16-6 mark in dual-match play. She teamed with freshman Maddy Eccleston at the top flight for every dual match, with that duo going 6-2 in MAC contests.

Chiricosta’s total of 43 victories this season led the team, and ties her for 10th in BGSU history.

Entering her senior season, Chiricosta has a combined career total of 128 wins, with 64 singles and 64 doubles victories. She has moved into 12th place on the BGSU doubles wins list, and is tied for 12th in overall wins and deadlocked for 14th in career singles wins. Chiricosta is within striking distance of all three school records.

Last month, she was named BGSU’s Junior Scholar-Athlete of the Year at the athletic department’s Academic Honors Night. That award is given to just one male and one female student-athlete in the junior class for all BGSU sports.

Chiricosta was named the MAC’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week three times this season. Last year, she was named an ITA Scholar Athlete for the second-straight year, and also was chosen to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Third Team. Chiricosta became the first student-athlete in Bowling Green women’s tennis history to be named an Academic All-American. She also had been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team in 2009, and was named an ITA Scholar Athlete for the second consecutive season.

In the classroom, Chiricosta has a 3.96 cumulative GPA as an adolescent/young adult/secondary education major at the time of nomination.

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Christine Chiricosta helped lead Bowling Green’s tennis team as they opened Mid-American Conference play with a 6-1 win over Ball State University last Friday.

With the win, the Falcons improved to 11-3 overall and 1-0 in the MAC, and BGSU has won five consecutive matches.

In doubles play, Chiricosta teamed up with freshman Maddy Eccleston for a decisive 8-2 win at the top flight.

Chiricosta defeated Hayley Hall at the top flight and is now 18th in school history in overall victories.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Avon Lake’s Christine Chiricosta was named the Mid-American Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week for her outstanding tennis play at Bowling Green last week, making it the second time this year she was honored as athlete of the week.
Chiricosta went 3-1 as the Falcons split a pair of matches, beating Detroit and losing to Michigan State.

Chiricosta was dominant in her two singles match wins, defeating Detroit’s Sophie Sjoberg-Sundstrom, 6-2, 6-1 and Michigan State’s Michaela Silesova, 6-1, 6-1. In doubles, she teamed up with freshman Maddy Eccleston to defeat Detroit, 8-6, but lost an 8-7 (4) to Michigan State.

Chiricosta is now 7-1 in dual-match singles play this spring and 14-3 in singles matches this year and 56-17 in her BGSU career.

Chiricosta, who is a junior, is tied for 18th in BGSU history in singles wins. She is deadlocked for 17th on the BG doubles wins list, with 54, and is 19th on the combined career list, with 110 wins as a Falcon.

In the classroom, Chiricosta has a cumulative grade point average of 3.96 as an adolescent/young adult/secondary education major.

Last spring, she was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team, becoming the first student-athlete in BGSU women's tennis history to earn such an honor. On the court, she has been named to the All-MAC Second Team in each of her first two seasons.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Avon Lake's Nikki Chiricosta, a four-time state qualifier and a state champion her freshman year, has made it official, signing to join her sister Christine at Bowling Green State University.

Chiricosta made it official on Wednesday in Avon Lake's Media Center.

She will be joining her sister, who will be a senior next season.

The pair won a state championship in doubles when Nikki was a freshman and Christine was a senior at Avon Lake.

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Avon Lake’s Christine Chiricosta advanced to the championship for Bowling Green in top flight singles and doubles play, but lost both matches to notch two second-place finishes at the BGSU Invitational played at Keefe Courts last weekend.

Chiricosta won a pair of matches at the singles top flight on Saturday, defeating Cleveland State's Catrine Bjerrehus, 6-4, 6-1 and Detroit's Carolina Salas Espinosa, 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the Sunday’s flight championship against Akron's Zara. She then lost 6-0, 6-4 to notch the second-place finish.

In doubles, Chiricosta teamed with freshman Maddy Eccleston for a convincing 8-0 win over a pair from Youngstown State at top flight on Saturday, and then defeated a pair from Eastern Michigan on Sunday to get to the finals. They then lost to UA’s tandem of Angelina Jogasuria and Zara Harutyunyan in the championship match.

With her four total wins, Chiricosta moved into the BGSU top-25 for career victories. She now has 89 combined career wins, and has moved past Lisa Maloney (87 from 2001-04) and Brenda Conley (87 from 1987-90) into 24th place on the school list.

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For Avon Lake's Christine Chiricosta, she couldn't be more ready for her junior season at Bowling Green State University.

After just two years at BG, Chiricosta has 42 singles wins, which is just three shy of 24th place in Falcon school history. Her total of 85 overall wins puts her just two away from joining the Top 25 all-time in school history.

Her overall record of 39-16 last season, which was best on the Falcons, earned her a selection on ESPN The Magazine Women's At-Large Academic All-District Team and Academic All-MAC honors. She also earned a second-straight All-MAC Second-Team selection.

"There's going to be some new challenges this year, but I'm definitely looking forward to it," Chiricosta said. "I have a lot to build on, because I set the bar pretty high."

She is focused on this year, but knows it will tough.

"I definitely want to come in and play No. 1 singles," Chiricosta said. "We have a really tough schedule with some Big Ten teams and some top teams in the NCAA. I'm hoping to maintain a winning record and playing well with my new doubles partner."

Winning the MAC is a team goal after coming close last season.

"I'm hoping to win the MAC this year," Chiricosta said. "We were two games away from winning it last year. We have a chance to do that. I think we can have a winning record. We just hope to play strong tennis and stay healthy."

Chiricosta, who played second singles for most of the year, went 3-0 in dual matches at the No. 1 flight and was 9-4 at the No. 2 flight in dual-match play. In doubles, Chiricosta had a record of 19-9.

In the classroom, Chiricosta maintains a perfect 4.00 GPA as an adolescent/young adult/secondary education major.

The Falcons ended the 2008-09 season with an overall dual-match record of 12-7 and a MAC regular-season mark of 5-3. BGSU finished with a winning record in MAC play for the first time since the 2002-03 season.

Chiricosta kept busy this summer, playing the College summer circuit tournaments, including one at the University of Pittsburgh and one at University of Michigan. She also played two national mother-daughter tournaments, winning both of them. Her and her mother Sheila won the "gold ball" in Vancouver, Washington and in Rhode Island, which makes four mother-daughter "gold balls" for her and her mother. Sheila has six total after winning two others with her son during mother-son tournament play.

"That was an amazing experience," Chiricosta said. "The one we won in Rhode Island was at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, so that was really something. It was an awesome experience. She is fun to play with."

Christine also mentioned how important her parents are. Her parents Rick and Sheila met while playing collegiate tennis at Toledo.

"She's made all the difference, both my parents have," Chiricosta said. "She's realistic and doesn't put pressure on me. My parents have been really supportive. They've made all the difference in all our careers. They've been great."

Christine is excited about her sister Nikki, a senior at Avon Lake, who will be joining her at BG next season.

"It's huge," Chiricosta said. "We both were hoping all along that we would have the opportunity to be on the same team again. Playing at a Division I strong tennis program like BG is awesome. My mom used to coach there so we have a lot of family history there. My coach and my teammates can't wait for her to get there."

Winning an elusive state championship in doubles her senior year with her freshman sister Nikki will always be unforgettable.

"It was the highlight of my career hands down," Chiricosta said. "It was really awesome. There's no way to describe what an accomplishment that felt like. I still remember it so well. It brought me tears, it was unbelievable. It was everything that she and I ever worked for. We both always wanted a state title and the fact that we got to win it together in front of all of our family and friends was the neatest thing in the world."

swalker@MorningJournal.com

PERRYSBURG, Ohio - Avon Lake’s Christine Chiricosta is living up to the hype at Bowling Green.

The former #1 ranked high school tennis player in Ohio (2007), Chiricosta has made the adjustment to college tennis a quite successful one.

So far in her sophomore season she is currently 10-2 in singles play and 9-2 in doubles action.

Last year, in just her freshman season, she led the team in singles wins and overall wins. Her record was 46-15, which includes 22-7 in singles play and 24-8 in doubles. She also notched All-MAC Second Team honors and was the MAC Player of the Week during the season. In her first weekend playing college tennis, she went an impressive 6-0. And to add to her impressive start, she had a perfect 4.0 GPA in her first semester.

At Avon Lake, she was a state qualifier all four years. Her senior season, she teamed up with her freshman sister Nikki Chiricosta to win the state doubles title. The Chiricosta sisters defeated another pair of sisters - Christie and Katie Pleiman, of Dayton Chaminade-Julienne, 6-4, 6-1.

In her four years at Avon Lake, the Shoregals won the Southwestern Conference title and never lost a match - going 68-0.

The Chiricosta family are all great tennis players. Both her parents, Rick and Sheila Chiricosta played collegiate tennis at Toledo, while her brother Matt Chiricosta is having a superb senior season at Allegheny College. Her younger sister Nikki was a state-qualifier last season and has a bright future in tennis also.

Two years ago, Christine teamed with her mother to win the title at the National Mother-Daughter Clay Court.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post on her brother Matt's success at Allegheny.

swalker@MorningJournal.com