2012 ITA Division I Award Winners
 
NEWARK, NJ—NJIT junior women's tennis player Monika Graff was named Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Northeast Regional winner of the Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship.
 
The ITA Arthur Ashe Award recognizes outstanding individuals in all divisions at the regional and national level.  It is awarded to students-athletes who exhibit exceptional sportsmanship and leadership on the court, as well as scholastic, extracurricular, and tennis achievements.
 
"This award is the most prestigious award that a player can achieve in college tennis,” head coach Mike Sowter said after receiving news of the honor. “This is a testament to all the hard work and dedication that Monika displays in the classroom, on the tennis court, and throughout the community. She is a remarkable person and a wonderful ambassador for our women's tennis team and she should be extremely proud of this award.”
 
This season, the NJIT women's tennis team captured its second consecutive Great West Conference championship at the Division I level.  Graff was named to the GWC first team, for the second straight year.
 
The 6-foot-1 junior from Lohmar, Germany, finished with a team-leading 23-4 overall record in her second season at NJIT. She went 15-2 at third singles, 2-0 at the second spot, 1-0 at fourth singles and 6-2 in tournament play.
 
The Vice President of the NJIT Student Athlete Advisory Committee, Graff participated in Blow Bubbles 4 Autism, FoodBank of New Jersey, in helping package groceries and volunteered at the Heywood Avenue School (in Orange, NJ), where the school conducted a college awareness event where students met and interacted with students and administrators from colleges.
 
Monika, who is enrolled in the NJIT Albert Dorman Honors College, earned ITA Scholar-Athlete recognition last year, as a mechanical engineering major.
 
Graff is one of 12 regional winners while the National winner will be announced May 22.