June 23, 2011
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GREENSBORO, N.C. -
After notching a number of honors already in 2011, two University of Maryland women's tennis players grabbed one more as junior Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar and freshman Jordaan Sanford were named to the Academic All-Atlantic Coast Conference Team.
The announcement of the 27-member team, which included Miami's Bianca Eichkorn, the ACC Women's Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year, was made Thursday by league commissioner John Swofford. Players must hold a cumulative GPA above a 3.0 and have completed their last semester with a GPA of 3.0 or higher in order to be considered for the team.
Sanchez-Quintanar, a first-year player from Campo de Criptana, Spain, capped off a magnificent season in College Park with the program's first singles win at the NCAA Championships. She defeated 26th-ranked Nazari Urbina of Texas A&M in the first round of last month's event before falling to No. 13 Zoe De Bruycker of North Carolina in the round of 32.
Sanchez-Quintanar compiled a 17-5 singles record this past season. She led the team with six wins over ranked opponents, including a straight-sets victory over then 14th-ranked De Buycker in a loss to the Tar Heels on March 25. Sanchez-Quintanar adds the academic accolade to an already impressive first-year resume which includes the ACC Women's Tennis Player of the Week (March 25), an All-ACC selection, and the 2011 ITA Atlantic Region Player to Watch. She finished the season ranked 34th nationally in doubles.
Sanford, a native of Diamond Bar, Calif., finished second on the team in singles wins with 20 and second in victories over ranked opponents with five. She was named the 2011 ITA Atlantic Region Rookie of the Year.
Sanford and Sanchez-Quintanar teamed up for 18 wins and a trip to the NCAA Doubles Championship. The pair finished the season ranked 26th in the nation. The duo recorded a milestone program win over the then top-ranked Clemson doubles team of Josipa Bek and Keri Wong on April 3.
The complete list of the 2011 Academic All-ACC Women's Tennis Team can be found here.
