May 31, 2006

Sophomore Lindsey Nelson, who is coming off of an outstanding postseason that saw the Trojan become just the second USC player in history to reach the NCAA Singles final, has been named as a finalist for the prestigious 2005-06 Honda Sports Award. The Collegiate Women Sports Awards will bestow the honor upon the player selected as the top women's tennis player of the season. The winner will be announced next week.

Also in the running for the award are Nelson's fellow finalists Suzi Babos of California, Audra Cohen of Miami and Kristi Miller of Georgia Tech. Babos and Nelson reached the NCAA Singles Championship match earlier this week, with Babos winning the title over Nelson. Cohen was the top-seeded singles player in the NCAA Championships, but fell to Nelson in the Round of 16. Miller was the No. 2 seed and was the nation's top-ranked player, but fell in the Quarterfinals.

In her run to the NCAA final and Honda Award finalist status, Nelson (Villa Park, Calif./Villa Park HS) helped anchor the Women of Troy to their first NCAA Team Semifinal appearance since 1988 and a No. 3 final team ranking. As USC's No. 1 singles player, Nelson racked up a 25-9 overall singles record and was 12-6 in dual match play. She battled and ankle injury in the fall and midseason pneumonia that sidelined her during conference play, and still managed to reach the Pac-10 singles semifinals, jumping 35 spots over the last two ranking period to earn a No. 18 national ranking as well as All-Pac-10 First Team honors and ITA All-America status. She did double duty at the NCAA Championships, coupling her successful singles run with a strong stand with teammate Luana Magnani in doubles action, as the pair reached the NCAA Doubles Round of 16. Nelson/Magnani were ranked No. 18 in the nation and finished the season with a 23-8 record.

Nelson also has maintained a strong GPA at USC, earning Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention with a 3.18 GPA.