Three members of the Dartmouth women's team won All-Ivy recognition this season, capping off a campaign that saw the Big Green claim many quality wins in addition to attaining a national ranking.
Co-captain Jayme Ahmed '05 led the way for the lady racketeers. The team's top player earned her second consecutive unanimous selection to the All-Ivy singles first team. Ahmed teamed with Megan Zebroski '08 to garner a spot on the All-Ivy doubles first team, as well. Lindsay Winingham '07 also received credit for her outstanding season by making the All-Ivy singles second team.
Ahmed toppled her first six opponents in conference play, finishing the Ancient Eight slate with a 6-1 mark. Overall on the season, Ahmed compiled 22 wins, but the spectacular senior saved much of her best play for the final matches of her career. The New Jersey native led the Big Green for the third straight year at the top position on the ladder and set an ideal example for her teammates with her consistently solid play against high-quality opponents.
Besides her exceptional play at No. 1 singles, Ahmed, along with Zebroski, made up one of the premier doubles tandems in the league. The duo collected five conference victories, with their only two losses coming against the other All-Ivy first team members from Harvard and Penn. On the year, Ahmed and Zebroski produced an excellent 11-4 record, as the pair combined Ahmed's big serves and groundstrokes with Zebroski's masterful play at the net to form a first-rate doubles team.
Winingham earned a place on the All-Ivy second team due to her unfailingly tenacious play, resilience and indomitable will to win. The Indiana native posted a 14-9 record on the campaign, including three wins in league competition.
The second-year star's biggest win came against Columbia's Angela Hendry, who also made the All-Ivy second team. Winingham fought back from a daunting deficit to pick up the three-set win and clinch a 4-3 victory for the Big Green over the Lions.
"I can't think of someone who competes better than she does," Maggie Suydam '08 said about Winingham. "Her attitude on the court is really admirable, and this recognition goes to show that it does produce positive results."
The recognition provided a fine closing note to the celebrated career of Ahmed, who ended her four years as the most prolific winner in Dartmouth women's tennis history. Also, the early success of Zebroski and Winingham in their young careers bodes well for the future of Big Green tennis.
"It's been so enjoyable to play doubles with Meg and to play singles next to Lindsay," Ahmed said. "They fight for every match and their talent and spirit make them a thrill to watch. Being only a sophomore and freshman now and receiving all-Ivy honors is proof that they are destined for great things in the coming years."
