April 25, 2012

ALL-CONFERENCE: Beaumont First Team, Griffith Honorable Mention for All-NWC

NEWBERG, Ore. - Two key players in the George Fox University Bruins' second-winningest season in history have been accorded 2012 All-Northwest Conference women's tennis accolades as Molly Beaumont was selected to the First Team and Cara Griffith received honorable mention in balloting by the league's nine coaches.

Beaumont, a junior from Bellingham, Wash., was named First Team All-Conference for the first time after receiving All-NWC Second Team honors in her freshman and sophomore seasons. During the 2011-12 campaign, she posted a record at the No. 1 singles position of 9-10, including a 5-7 mark against the best in the conference. In doubles, she went 10-7 with Shaina Inn (6-6 in conference) and 1-1 with Alyssa Emoto at No. 1 for an overall doubles record of 11-8. Her total record for the spring season was 20-18.

During the fall, Beaumont went 3-2 in the USTA/ITA NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Pacific Northwest Fall Championships in Salem, Ore., on Oct. 3-4. She was 2-1 in singles, reaching the quarterfinals, and 1-1 in doubles with Emoto. For the entire 2011-12 season, she finished 23-20 overall, 11-11 in singles and 12-9 in doubles.

In her three years at George Fox, Beaumont has an overall record of 45-70, going 22-36 in singles and 23-34 in doubles.

Griffith, a junior from Spokane, Wash., had the Bruins' best singles record, going 12-6 at No. 4 and 8-4 in the conference. She was 7-9 with Emoto, 1-1 with Inn, and 0-1 with Chantelle Hadeed for an overall doubles record of 8-11, most at No. 4. Her combined spring record was 20-17.

In the USTA/ITA Fall Championships in Salem, Ore., on Oct. 3-4, Griffth was 1-2 in singles and 2-2 in doubles with Emoto, reaching the finals of the consolation bracket in doubles. Her record for the entire season was 23-21.

Griffith's improvement over the course of three years has been one of the Bruins' most dramatic, climbing from 2-33 as a freshman to 11-29 last year to over .500 this season. Her career record stands at 36-83.

Beaumont and Griffith were instrumental in the Bruins' 8-11 record this year, providing talent and leadership for a young team that has no seniors. The only George Fox to win more matches in a single season was the 2004 team which went 9-12; the 2004 team also won eight in an 8-9 season. In the conference, the Bruins tied Lewis & Clark College for seventh at 3-9.

Alyssa Roberg of Whitman College was named the NWC Player of the Year, Kiana Nip of Linfield College was the Sportswoman of the Year, and Amy Dames Smith of regular season champion Linfield was the Coach of the Year.