Wake Forest Athletics
Women's Tennis Racks Up Regional Awards
5/13/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 13, 2002
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Three members of the Wake Forest women??s tennis program have earned Southeast Region postseason awards, as announced on Monday by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). WFU head coach Brian Fleishman has been named Region Coach of the Year, Janet Bergman has been honored with the Senior Player of the Year award, and Bea Bielik has been named the Southeast Region??s ??Player to Watch??.
The ITA divides all the NCAA Division I women??s tennis teams into eight geographical regions. All three Demon Deacon award winners are now eligible for the national awards in each of their respective categories, which will be announced May 19 at the NCAA Championships in Stanford, Calif.
Fleishman, in his fourth season at the helm of the Deacon program, continues to lift the program to new heights. He has compiled a 75-22 record (.773) as a head coach, all at WFU. The 2000 ACC Coach of the Year, Fleishman has led the Deacs to four straight NCAA appearances and a school-record 24 dual wins in 2000. He has coached seven All-Americas during his tenure at Wake, which included two seasons (1997-98) as an assistant coach. Under Fleishman??s guidance, the Deacons have recorded a 28-4 ACC record the last four seasons and are 8-3 in NCAA Tournament play.
The Region Coach of the Year Award is a first for Fleishman, and the third for WFU women??s tennis. Former head coach Lew Gerrard earned the honor in 1995 and ??97.
Bergman and Bielik have been two of the most decorated players in the history of Wake Forest women??s tennis. Both are nationally ranked in singles (Bielik 2nd, Bergman 20th) and together are second in the nation in doubles. They will both compete in next week??s NCAA singles and doubles championships.
Bergman, who has not missed a dual match during her entire four-year career with the Deacons, is Wake??s all-time leader in both singles (128) and doubles (115) victories. One of just two players in Wake history to be named to the All-ACC team four times, Bergman is also a two-time All-American in both singles and doubles. The Senior Player of the Year award is a fitting bookend to Bergman??s career, as she was the Southeast Region??s Rookie of the Year in 1999.
Bielik, a junior, has now been named the Southeast Region??s ??Player to Watch?? for the second time in her career, as she also earned the honor in 2000. Bielik was also honored with the 2002 ACC Player of the Year award, a first for WFU tennis. She is also rewriting the Deacon record book, as she ranks first in career singles win percentage (.886) and already ranks among the top three in career doubles wins.
The Wake Forest women??s tennis team, ranked eighth nationally, won its own NCAA regional this past weekend and is headed to Stanford for the round of 16. The Deacs will face No. 9 Texas on Thursday, May 16.
