PHILADELPHIA— The 2024-25 All-Ivy honors were announced by the conference Thursday afternoon, with the University of Pennsylvania women's tennis team earning one First-Team and one Second-Team nod, along with two Honorable Mentions.
Esha Velaga received First-Team recognition for singles, Sabine Rutlauka was recognized with Second-Team in singles, and both were recognized with their partners, Maya Urata and Eileen Wang respectively, as Honorable Mentions in doubles.
Senior Gavriella Smith was awarded Academic All-Ivy honors for the 2024-25 season.
Esha Velaga was voted unanimously to the conference First-Team for the second time in her career after completing the season 8-5 overall. Last year's rookie of the year closed the season 4-1 in Ivy League play, her only conference loss came to No. 70 Yale's Orly Ogilvy, who was also named First-Team. Injured during the early part of the season, Velaga came back strong for conference play, moving fluidly between the number one and number two spots on the ladder.
Sabine Rutlauka closed out her year 4-7 in team competition this season and 1-4 in conference play, garnering her third career All-Ivy singles nod. While not the results she wanted, she battled through a foot injury in the second half of the season while still consistently remaining in the number one and two spots on the ladder. Despite her record, Rutlauka been a force to be reckoned with this season, playing both doubles and singles for the entire conference schedule as soon as she was medically cleared. Appearing in 13 matches for the Red and Blue this spring, the senior was solid in the No. 1 spot on the ladder and led her team to finish second place in the conference.
Maya Urata, earning her first career All-Ivy recognition, completed the season 8-7 overall in doubles with a 3-3 record in conference play. Named to the All-Ivy Honorable Mention list with partner Esha Velaga, the duo became a strong pairing in the conference schedule late in the season. With their first match of the season as a pair coming in April, the two adapted quickly and look to be a stronger pairing going into next season after finishing the spring at 2-2. Urata finished her season in singles with a 12-1 in team competition and 4-1 in conference play this season. In her junior season, she dominated the No. 6 spot on the ladder for the Quakers, splitting time early in the season at the No. 4 and No. 5 spots with injuries at one and two.
Eileen Wang closes out her collegiate career earning her second career All-Ivy doubles honor. Named to the Honorable Mention list with partner Sabine Rutlauka, the two finished the spring 7-4 overall and 3-3 in conference play. The two seniors played every match in the number one spot, consistently setting the tone for the remainder of the match with high-energy play that the team built on. Wang finished the season 10-7 overall in singles and 1-3 in conference play. Securing the final match for the Quakers last Sunday versus Yale, Wang proved a crucial member of the team after playing in four different positions on the ladder.
For the latest on Penn women's tennis, follow @PennWomensTennis on Instagram, @PennWTennis on X (formerly Twitter), and on the web at PennAthletics.com.
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