FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced the 2022-23 Division II All-Americans on Tuesday evening. Student-athletes earn All-American honors by finishing inside the top-20 of ITA singles rankings and top-10 in the final ITA doubles rankings. Three Nova Southeastern Sharks Women's Tennis student-athletes – Fatima Bizhukova, Natalie Espinal and Julie Razafindranaly – were recognized as All-Americans.
Head Coach Doug Neagle has built the Nova Southeastern Sharks program into a national power during his seven seasons and led the program to its first NCAA Division II national championship match in 2022-23, while setting the program record for single season wins (26).
"Our program keeps making history. It's an incredible accomplishment for these ladies to be named All-Americans," said Neagle. "They all deserve the recognition, and it was a total team effort that helped them achieve this."
Bizhukova and Espinal, the top duos tandem in Division II, earned Doubles All-American honors for the Sharks. The pair began the season by winning the ITA Division II doubles championship in the fall and carried over the momentum into the spring. During Nova Southeastern's run to the NCAA Division II National Championship, Bizhukova and Espinal held a 7-1 record during the postseason.
Espinal also starred as a singles player for the Sharks throughout the 2022-23 season, finishing the season with a record of 25-3, and earned Sunshine State Conference First-Team honors for the fourth time in her Sharks career.
Razafindranaly anchored the Nova Southeastern lineup throughout the season, playing as either the number one or number two singles player. Razafindranaly joined Espinal as a Sunshine State Conference First-Team honoree, the fifth selection during her career.
No. 2 Nova Southeastern played in the program's first NCAA Division II National Championship in 2022-23, finishing the season as national finalists. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Women's Tennis throughout the off-season, be sure to follow on Instagram and Twitter at NSU_WTennis.
