April 28, 2006

IRVING, Texas - First-year tennis standout Kellie Schmitt topped Marshall's Conference USA accolades as the Pittsburgh, Pa., native was named the C-USA Freshman of the Year by the league office.

Schmitt was also named to the All-Conference first team along with teammate, junior Lynzee Kever. Schmitt and Kever were also tabbed the doubles team of the championship for C-USA.

"We're very excited for Lynzee and Kellie," Marshall head coach John Mercer said. "They both are very deserving of the recognition after a great year. We now hope they'll get into the NCAA Tournament and finish strong and continue to improve next season."

Schmitt and Kever are currently ranked No. 43 in the latest ITA doubles poll. With the ranking, the duo is the highest ranked team in C-USA and eligible for the NCAA Doubles Tournament in May. Kever and Schmitt were named the Outstanding Doubles Team of the C-USA Championships for their 8-1 win over Rice's Blair DiSesa and Medeja Egic. Kever and Schmitt are 20-4 on the season.

For the season, Schmitt put together one of the best performances in Marshall tennis history playing from the No. 2 singles spot and No. 1 doubles. Schmitt was the only player in C-USA to win two Conference USA Athlete of the Week awards. On top of that, Schmitt finished the 2006 spring with a singles record of 20-4 and finished 2005-06 with a record of 27-9, the 27 wins are tied for the sixth best mark in school history. Schmitt and Kever have been ranked as high as No. 31 this season and knocked off the No. 23 ranked tandem in the nation in doubles.

Schmitt also earned the No. 11 ranking in the East Region in the fall, the highest-ever for a Marshall freshman. Some of Schmitt's other highlights include wins over the No. 59, 89 and 118 ranked players in the nation.

"It's very exciting," Schmitt said. "It's an honor to get this recognition. This has been an unbelievable year and hopefully this is only the beginning of good things for me and my teammates in the next couple of years."

Mercer added.

"She's had a remarkable year," he said. "She's had one of the best seasons in Marshall history and she's been great to work with this season. Kellie was a pleasant surprise and we're looking forward to three more years with her. Hopefully the NCAA Tournament will help her build on future improvements to help us in the years to come."

Schmitt's counterpart, No. 1 singles player Lynzee Kever also had a stellar season. In her first season with the Herd after transferring from Colorado, Kever was named C-USA Athlete of the Week once and put up solid numbers. In singles, she posted a 14-9 record with wins over the No. 59, 60 and 119 ranked players in the nation.She is also ranked in doubles with fall partner Shannon Brown. The duo is ranked No. 37 in the latest ITA poll.

Kever and Schmitt were the only players to receive C-USA recognition this season.