Female Scholar Athlete of the Week: January 28 – February 3, 2013
Bowling Green State University Nikki Chiricosta (W. Tennis)
Nikki Chiricosta (#1/2 Singles, #1/2 Doubles, Junior, 3.96, Journalism) was a perfect 4-0 as the BGSU tennis team won a pair of matches over the weekend to run their winning streak to five. Chiricosta was never challenged on the weekend, winning four contests by relatively lopsided scores. On Saturday, Chiricosta teamed with classmate Emily Reuland for an 8-0 win against Youngstown State at the No. 2 doubles flight. Then, she lost only four total games in a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Marta Burak at the second singles flight. On Sunday against Evansville, Chiricosta played at the No. 1 flight in both singles and doubles. She and Reuland posted an 8-1 win in doubles, and she then thrashed Natasha James, 6-2, 6-0 in singles play. BGSU won both matches by 6-1 scores.
On the season, Chiricosta has an overall record of 33-11, leading the team in wins. Her 15-5 singles record is the best on the Falcons, as is her 18-6 doubles mark. Just a junior, Chiricosta already ranks 15th in school history in career singles wins, with 66. She is 14th all-time at the school with 65 doubles victories, and her career total of 131 combined wins ties her for 12th at BGSU. The Falcons are 5-1 this season, and BGSU has won five consecutive matches after a season-opening loss on the road against No. 19 Notre Dame.
The MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week honor is presented to a MAC male and female student-athlete who has a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better and performs well during the week’s competition. The winners are selected by a group of the conference’s faculty athletic representatives.