Stony Brook University tennis player Sara Annamaria Medved has been named the 2024 Cissie Leary Award Recipient for Sportsmanship in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Northeast Region.
With the award, Medved is the first player in Stony Brook's history to win the award and was one of 13 players in the country to be selected as a recipient for the 2024 Cissie Leary Award.
"Sara is a positive force, enthusiastically helping and lifting people up in a consistent manner," said head coach Thiago Dualiby. "I'm excited for her to earn this recognition. Managing a demanding schedule as a double-major, finishing her undergraduate degree in three years, while participating in several committees and organizations showed her unwavering and outstanding dedication on and off the court all season long. We're so incredibly proud of Sara."
The annual ITA Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship goes to a Division I women's player from each region who displays inspiring dedication and commitment to her team, which has enhanced her team's performance and exemplified the spirit of college tennis. The award has been given out since 1997 and is in memory of the late and widely admired Penn women's tennis coach Cissie Leary.
For the year Medved finished second on the team in wins (individual) and was second on the team in appearances. She owned a record of 5-10 in the 5/6 position for singles, including a 3-1 overall record in CAA play.
She graduated in May with her Bachelor of Science & Computer Science/Applied Math and Statistics, completing with a 3.69 GPA. She earned CAA Commissioner's Honor Roll and America East Honor Roll status four different times in her career and was named to the Academic All-District Team this past spring. That added to her resume which includes making the Dean's list four times and is a member of numerous clubs at Stony Brook, including Academy of Leaders, International Student Advisory Council, Executive board member of the Ski and Snowboard Club, Algorithmic Researcher and Programming Teaching Assistant. She also was selected to attend the Women's Sports Foundation Athlete Leadership Convention.
The national winners for the ITA Awards will be announced on June 15. As the regional winner, Medved is a candidate for the national award.