May 12, 2005
SKILLMAN, N.J.-The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) recently announced New Mexico’s Maja Kovacek as the ITA Central Region Player to Watch and assistant coach Roy Cañada (kan-YAH-dah) as the ITA Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year for NCAA Division I women’s tennis.
This is Kovacek’s (Pula, Croatia) second ITA regional award as she was named Rookie of the Year as a freshman in 2003. Cañada, who just completed his ninth season as the assistant coach for the University of New Mexico women’s tennis team, earns his second assistant coach of the year award after receiving his first back in 2000.
The ITA Player to Watch Award goes to a player who has an outstanding season and is expected to perform at a high level the rest of his or her career. The award’s criteria also includes a player’s sportsmanship and character.