COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Maryland women's tennis head coach Daria Panova announced the signing of Ayana Akli to her 2019 recruiting class on Wednesday. 

The Silver Spring native comes by Maryland by way of Wheaton High School, where she was named the athlete of the year in 2017. 

"We are thrilled to have Ayana join the Maryland tennis family in the fall," Panova said. Beyond her tennis accomplishments, she is an outstanding student and leader in the community. Ayana's work ethic, professionalism and dedication has always impressed me and seeing her jump in level over the last nine months speaks volumes to the kind of athlete she is. She will be a great fit at Maryland both academically and athletically. She's been well coached and is a great player. We're happy to have the top player in Maryland stay home and compete for the Terps."

A five-star recruit out of high school, Akli is currently the 28th-ranked player in the class of 2019 according to tennisrecruiting.net. 

Akli is a two-time Maryland state singles champion, winning the title in each of the last two years. Her high school season in 2018 earned her Washington Post Spring Player of the Year plaudits. 

She's been ranked as high as No. 1 in the Girls 18-and-under Mid-Atlantic ranking and 56th in the national rankings. 

Alki's ITF ranking has shot up to 600 this year with two top-100 wins. She also has had a bevy of international competition, playing for the JTCC team that won the International Club Junior Worldwide Challenge in Japan. 

She has won the Arthur Ashe Award and a pair of sportsmanship award. 

In the classroom, Akli is a member of the National Honor Society, the National Science Honor Society and the National Society of Black Engineers. She is an AP scholar, the secretary for her senior class and has been on the honor roll every quarter. She's also received the Alpha Phi Alpha award. 

Akli trains at the JTCC where her father Oliver is a Senior Director and High Performance Coach.