Colorado University Athletics
Balzert Earns ITA Most Improved Senior Award
June 13, 2023 | Tennis
BOULDER—Senior Antonia Balzert was awarded the Most Improved Senior Award by the ITA Mountain Region, the organization announced last week, given to a player who has shown great improvement throughout their careers. Â
After a tough sophomore season both on and off the court, Balzert surged for much of her junior and senior seasons, occupying the No. 1 spot in both singles and doubles. She earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors as a senior, winning 17 singles and 14 doubles matches, with all dual matches coming at the No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles positions (most with Aya El Sayed). Â
"I want to thank the ITA for this award," Balzert said. "In general, I think all athletes had a tough time during COVID. Â It certainly was for me, both on and off the court. Â But I always gave it my all through that time, and the rest of my career I worked really hard. Â It's nice to be recognized for that hard work."Â
Her leadership and performances helped lead the Buffaloes to their first postseason appearance in 16 seasons and a team win in the Pac-12 Tournament for the first time ever. She became the 15th player in program history to win 10 matches in a season at No. 1 singles, and first in seven years.Â
"I'm very happy for Toni to cap her career with this well-deserved award," CU Coach Anthony Pham said. "She worked tirelessly at her craft and showed tremendous improvement from year to year. Â I'm proud of everything she accomplished both on the court and in the classroom."Â
Balzert graduated from CU with two degrees in Psychology and Business Marketing. Â She finished her career with above a 3.5 grade point average and was the first player in program history to earn College Sports Communicator's Academic All-District and she was also named to the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll, CU's Athletic Director's Honor Roll and to the dean's list multiple times throughout her career.Â
In her career, Balzert's 50 singles wins earned her a spot in the CU record book as the 34th player with 50-plus singles wins in program history. Her 14 career wins at No. 1 singles also ranks tied for 12th in program annals. Among her 85 combined singles and doubles wins, 39 of them came in dual match play at No. 1 or No. 2 singles or doubles.
As a senior, she had and impressive 6-1 run in the fall season, with a 4-1 record at the ITA Mountain Regional and a 2-0 record in the Colorado Cup. She faced five ranked opponents, including the No. 5 player in the nation on three separate occasions. She defeated No. 97 Hikaru Sato from No. 16 Washington in a thrilling match that saw the Buffs come back from a 3-0 deficit, marking the program's highest-ranked win in seven years.
In doubles, Balzert primarily partnered with El Sayed, achieving a 13-16 overall record and an 8-11 record in dual matches, all at No. 1 doubles. She also played two matches with freshman Anya Nelson, resulting in a 1-1 record and an overall doubles record of 14-17.
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After a tough sophomore season both on and off the court, Balzert surged for much of her junior and senior seasons, occupying the No. 1 spot in both singles and doubles. She earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors as a senior, winning 17 singles and 14 doubles matches, with all dual matches coming at the No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles positions (most with Aya El Sayed). Â
"I want to thank the ITA for this award," Balzert said. "In general, I think all athletes had a tough time during COVID. Â It certainly was for me, both on and off the court. Â But I always gave it my all through that time, and the rest of my career I worked really hard. Â It's nice to be recognized for that hard work."Â
Her leadership and performances helped lead the Buffaloes to their first postseason appearance in 16 seasons and a team win in the Pac-12 Tournament for the first time ever. She became the 15th player in program history to win 10 matches in a season at No. 1 singles, and first in seven years.Â
"I'm very happy for Toni to cap her career with this well-deserved award," CU Coach Anthony Pham said. "She worked tirelessly at her craft and showed tremendous improvement from year to year. Â I'm proud of everything she accomplished both on the court and in the classroom."Â
Balzert graduated from CU with two degrees in Psychology and Business Marketing. Â She finished her career with above a 3.5 grade point average and was the first player in program history to earn College Sports Communicator's Academic All-District and she was also named to the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll, CU's Athletic Director's Honor Roll and to the dean's list multiple times throughout her career.Â
In her career, Balzert's 50 singles wins earned her a spot in the CU record book as the 34th player with 50-plus singles wins in program history. Her 14 career wins at No. 1 singles also ranks tied for 12th in program annals. Among her 85 combined singles and doubles wins, 39 of them came in dual match play at No. 1 or No. 2 singles or doubles.
As a senior, she had and impressive 6-1 run in the fall season, with a 4-1 record at the ITA Mountain Regional and a 2-0 record in the Colorado Cup. She faced five ranked opponents, including the No. 5 player in the nation on three separate occasions. She defeated No. 97 Hikaru Sato from No. 16 Washington in a thrilling match that saw the Buffs come back from a 3-0 deficit, marking the program's highest-ranked win in seven years.
In doubles, Balzert primarily partnered with El Sayed, achieving a 13-16 overall record and an 8-11 record in dual matches, all at No. 1 doubles. She also played two matches with freshman Anya Nelson, resulting in a 1-1 record and an overall doubles record of 14-17.
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Players Mentioned
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