UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State women’s tennis head coach Alexandra McIntyre and assistant coach Michael Mucci were announced as the ITA Northeast Regional Coach and Assistant Coach of the Year, respectively, on Tuesday morning.
McIntyre and Mucci guided the Nittany Lions to a 14-10 (5-8 Big Ten) record, the program’s most wins since 2013. At home, the team went 10-2 with a 6-0 mark in nonconference play. A 4-3 victory over No. 14 USC in Happy Valley highlighted the home slate. It was the highest ranked win in at least 20 years for the Blue & White.
The Nittany Lions finished the season ranked No. 55 in the ITA poll. The team was ranked for the final 11 weeks of the poll, reaching as high as No. 33. In the postseason ITA regional rankings, the program finished No. 1 in the Northeast region.
Penn State amassed two All-Big Ten selections and five ITA Northeast regional individual rankings for the 2024-25 season.
Junior Olivia Dorner earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors and a No. 6 ranking in the ITA regional singles rankings with a 12-13 singles record, 8-8 in dual matches on court one. She secured a ranked win over USC’s No. 46 Grace Piper, 6-4, 6-4. Dorner earned Co-Big Ten Player of the Week on October 16.
Freshman Patricia Grigoras was selected to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team as well as a No. 8 ranking in the ITA regional singles rankings. In her standout rookie campaign, Grigoras earned a 19-9 overall record, including a 13-7 record in dual matches. She was named Big Ten Freshman of the week on April 2 after a crucial win over USC’s Lily Fairclough, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, and nearly her first ranked victory against UCLA’s No. 38 Kate Fakih, 6-4, 5-3, before the match went unfinished.
Maiko Uchijima, a fellow junior and Dorner’s doubles partner, was ranked No. 15 in the ITA regional singles rankings. She finished with a 13-14 (8-11 dual) record. A big performance at the UNC Kitty Harrison Invitational in the fall earned her Big Ten Player of the Week honors on September 18.
The duo of Dorner and Uchijima earned a No. 2 ranking in the ITA regional doubles rankings after a 22-9 season. The pair went 12-7 in dual matches, including a 9-6 record on court one and three ranked victories. In the fall, Dorner and Uchijima won the ITA Northeast Regional doubles title to become the first Nittany Lions to compete at the NCAA Individual Championships since 2012. The tandem reached as high as No. 46 in the ITA doubles rankings.
Grigoras and sophomore Jordina Cegarra were ranked No. 8 in the ITA regional doubles rankings. The pair finished the season with a 12-13 (9-10 dual) record, playing mainly on court two before five appearances at the top spot at the end of the season.
Follow along with the Nittany Lions on X, @PennStateWTEN, and on Instagram, @pennstatewtennis.