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Tennis's Cako named Scholar Athlete of the Year at Pac-12 championships

Senior Jacqueline Cako serves the ball during the Sun Devils' 5-2 loss to UCLA on April 6. Despite coming up empty in the Pac-12 championships over the weekend, Cako was named the Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year at the tournament. (Photo by Murphy Bannerman)
Senior Jacqueline Cako serves the ball during the Sun Devils' 5-2 loss to UCLA on April 6. Despite coming up empty in the Pac-12 championships over the weekend, Cako was named the Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year at the tournament. (Photo by Murphy Bannerman)

Senior Jacqueline Cako serves the ball during the Sun Devils' 5-2 loss to UCLA on April 6. Despite coming up empty in the Pac-12 championships over the weekend, Cako was named the Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year at the tournament. (Photo by Murphy Bannerman) Senior Jacqueline Cako serves the ball during the Sun Devils' 5-2 loss to UCLA on April 6. Despite coming up empty in the Pac-12 championships over the weekend, Cako was named the Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year at the tournament. (Photo by Murphy Bannerman)

Senior Jacqueline Cako didn’t win a Pac-12 tennis title, but she’s not coming home empty handed.

After three days in Ojai, Calif., at the Pac-12 championships, Cako was named the Pac-12 Women’s Tennis Scholar Athlete of the Year.

A bioscience major, Cako won the award with a 3.68 GPA while graduating from Barrett, the Honors College in only three years in addition to being one of the country’s top tennis players.

“For Jacq to be top 25 in the country in singles, top 30 in doubles and then to do what she’s done graduating in three years from the honors college in biology and organic chemistry, tough classes, it’s sort of kudos to her,” ASU coach Sheila McInerney said. “I think it shows that she can be both a student and an athlete, and she absolutely has done that.”

Cako was one of three ASU players in the championship draw of the Pac-12 tournament along with freshman Desirae Krawvzyk and sophomore Leighann Sahagun.

The two underclassmen wouldn’t see past the round of 16.

Sahagun fell in the first round to Cal quarter finalist, freshman Klara Fabikova. Krawczyk would fare only slightly better, winning her first round matchup before losing in the next round to eventual finalist Stanford freshman Krista Hardebeck.

Cako would advance the farthest of the three, making it to the quarterfinals before losing to Stanford junior Kristie Ahn, 6-2, 6-2.

Ahn, Fabikova and Hardebeck are all ranked in the top 65 in singles in the country with Ahn and Hardebeck both ranked in the top 30.

“It’s certainly a tough flight to be in for sure, but it’s great competition,” McInerney said. “You knew the championship flight was tough, but you know it’s going to help us down the road.”

Down that same road, Cako is almost assured a berth in the NCAA singles tournament but her chances of making it in to the doubles championship with senior partner Nicole Smith is far less certain.

Cako and Smith were the second seeded pair in the Pac-12 tournament and No. 28 nationally but only made it to the second round, losing 6-8 to UCLA junior Courtney Dolehide and senior Pamela Montez.

“They’re definitely a bubble team,” McInerney said.

While not in the championship draws, some other Sun Devils had some success at the Pac-12 tournament.

Sophomore Joanna Smith and senior Hannah James both went 1-1 in singles and lost their invitational doubles match.

Freshman Stephanie Vlad, who had a 14-2 record before the tournament, managed to go 2-1 after losing in the team’s last dual match of the season against UA.

Before playing the Wildcats, Vlad had missed six straight matches with a right knee injury.

“Having her get those matches under her belt is really going to help us in two weeks when we play in the NCAAs, so I think she played great,” McInerney said.

The NCAA team championship will be released on April 30 and will be streamed live on NCAA.com.

The brackets for the singles and doubles championships will be released on May 1.

 

Reach the reporter at ejsmith7@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @EricSmith_SP

 


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